Information on evidence used to connect Naso to the murders has been released.
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_18291541Marin judge unseals records in Naso
serial killing case
By Gary Klien
Marin Independent Journal
Posted: 06/16/2011 01:34:52 PM PDT
A woman whose body was found slain near
Fairfax in 1977 was strangled with panty
hose that contained the DNA of the suspect's
wife, according to court documents released
Thursday.
Joseph Naso, the suspected serial killer, also
kept a handwritten list of 10 women in 10
locations — including a reference to a "Girl
near Loganitas," according to a statement
filed by Marin sheriff's Detective Ryan
Petersen, copying the apparent misspelling of
Lagunitas.
The body of Roxene Roggasch, an 18-year-
old prostitute in the East Bay, was found on
Jan. 11, 1977, on White's Hill — about four
miles east of Lagunitas. The "Girl near
Loganitas" was No. 3 on Naso's list, Petersen
said.
Naso, a photographer living in the East Bay at
the time, kept a collection of his photographs
showing women naked, wearing pantyhose
or lingerie, or in bondage poses, Petersen
said. Some of the women appeared
unconscious or possibly dead, he said.
The photographs and writings were seized
last year at Naso's home in Reno, where p
olice were conducting a probation search.
The documents were unsealed by Marin
Superior Court Judge Andrew Sweet in
response to a motion by an alliance of media
organizations, including the Marin
Independent Journal.
The documents — Petersen's statements on
the probable cause to justify arresting Naso
without a warrant — were sealed at Naso's
arraignment in April at the request of District
Attorney Ed Berberian.
The media argued that Petersen's statements
were court records that should be available
for public access. Prosecutors argued that
unsealing the documents would compromise
Naso's right to a fair trial and could
jeopardize an ongoing investigation.
Sweet ruled in the media's favor, saying the
prosecutors' concerns were "speculative";
that the public has a presumptive right of
access to court records; that much of the
information has already been reported; and
that the evidence will be presented anyway at
Naso's preliminary hearing on July 11.
"It reaffirms a basic tenet that an
understanding of the facts underlying a
advertisement criminal complaint are of utmost importance
to the public and that the public has a right to
see and understand the basis for arresting,
charging and holding a criminal defendant
pending trial," said Duffy Carolan, the lawyer
for the media organizations. "We don't do
that in secret in this country."
Naso, 77, has pleaded not guilty to charges of
murdering four women: Roggasch, a San Jose
native; Carmen Colon, 22, found near Port
Costa in 1978; Pamela Parsons, 38, found in
Yuba County in 1993; and, Tracy Tafoya, 31,
found in Yuba County in 1994.
According to Petersen's statements:
• Naso had photos of Parsons, a prostitute,
in his collection and admitted to
photographing her. He also documented that
he was a vendor on Sept. 18 and 19, 1993, at
the Marysville flea market — about 1.5 miles
from where Parsons was found strangled to
death on Sept. 19, 1993. Naso also kept
newspaper articles about Parson's death in a
bank deposit box in Reno. And entry No. 9 on
Naso's list of women is written as "Girl from
Linda (Yuba County)." Parsons was from the
town of Linda.
• Naso was a "possible contributor" to a
partial DNA profile taken from the fingernail
clippings of Colon, a prostitute. Prior to her
death, Colon had told her sister that she was
having her photographs taken. Woman No. 2
on Naso's list was written as "Girl near Port
Costa."
• Tafoya, a prostitute, was found dumped
near Marysville Cemetery, which was near
Naso's residence at the time. The 10th entry
on Naso's list referred to a girl from
Marysville with "(cemetery)" written next to it.
Naso's safety deposit box contained news
clippings and photos about Tafoya's death,
and his home in Reno contained writings
about Tafoya's death and disappearance.
Naso is being prosecuted for all for murder
cases in Marin Superior Court. He refused a
court-appointed attorney and is representing
himself.
The documents released Thursday do not
indicate whether authorities have accounted
for the other six women on the list. The Marin
County Sheriff's Office referred questions to
the district attorney, who could not
immediately be reached for comment
Thursday.
Contact Gary Klien via email at
gklien@marinij.com
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