News Scrapbook 1984

El Cajon, CA (San Diego Co.) Dally Californian (D. 100,271)

7 I

DEC

Jlll~t1• :;:: _Mu~9ersu spectarrested p C B I ,r 1888

Casa de Oro man linked to Swanke, St rang and Fisher deaths; ID'd by Santiago

of Washington state She positively identi- fied Lucas as her attacker after helping detectives prepare a composite sketch that was released last week . A man kidnapped her the night of June 8 at Fletcher Parkway and Marshall Avenue in El Cajon, slashed her throat and left her for dead at Lyons and Calavo drives in the La Mesa area . Duffy credited public response and the "dedicated, hard-nosed " professional work of sheriff's Sgt Dennis Hartman and other homicide detecti ves in breaking the case. " I appreciate deeply the outpouring of support from the citizens of San Diego County who responded to the news reports', in the Swanke case particularly, ' sa id Duffy. He said hundreds of people called with information after Swanke, a 22-year-old University of San Diego honors student , dt'sappeared Nov 20 in La Mesa The San Carlos woman's car ran out of gas at Fletcher Parkway and J ackson Drive She disappeared after buying gas at a nearby Shell gas station A hiker found her body four days later on • Sprin:{alley hill . • Sus~t 2A

By Jo Moreland of Tha Dally Callfornfan

The neighbors of David Lucas aren't particularly surprised that he was arrested, but they were shocked Sunday at the charges. Lucas is suspected by Sheriff's deputies of fatally slashing the throats of Anne Swanke, Rhonda Strang and 3-year-old Amber Fisher, and attempting to murder a third woman the same way in a series of East County attacks. " It was an uptight situation for sure," neighbor Alan Morris said of the ~ituation at Lucas' home in Casa de Oro. " You had the feeling that something was ready to explode " Sheriff's homicide detectives arrested Lucas, 29, at 7 a .m Sunday at his home at 10104 Casa de Oro Blvd , Investigators are checking lo see 1! he might be involved m other crimes in the county, as well as elsewhere. " He provided no resistance," said Sheriff John Duffy. ··rt was a positive identl• fication late yesterday by the first victim. " That was 30-year-old Jodie Santiago, now

Sheriff's deputies took murder suspect David Lucas, 29, of Casa de Oro, to the downtown central jail Sunday following his arrest. Sheriff's homicide Lt. Scott Bo~ Lucas is the only suspect att _hi_·_s _ti_m_e.~--~-

Nelpbon aald this house in Casa de Oro whe re David Lucas lives has never been a hap one no matter wllo Jived there. They sai~ ~l_'SY parties, a beating and other Incident, happene!ihere 'this l!Ullmer. 1)...~ SUSPECT Fron·, I A .

Rhonda C. Strang, 31, and the child she baby-sa t for the first time , Amber Fisher, 3, died Oct. 23 when thell" throats were slashed at Strang's Lakeside home. Strang's 5-yea r-old daughter discovered the bodies when she_got home from school that day . An 11-month- old baby m the room with ~he victims wasn't harmed. . Duffys aid Lucas was arrested on suspicion of ludnappmg_ and murder in the Swanke case, two counts of murder m the Lakeside deaths, and kidnapping and attempted murder m the Santiago case . "The DA agrees with our charging , and formal charges will be so4ght early next week," Duffy said. ~teve Casey, spokesman for the district attorney's omce, said the case wa s under revi ew this morning with sheriff's investigators Charges could be filed as early as today, Casey said. _Duffy said Lucas , a self-employed carpet cleaner with the Carpet Maintenance _Company of San Diego, has been a suspect for some ume. Lucas is being cbecked as a possible suspect in several other local murders that occurred withm the last year. "There's a pattern in these four cases," DuHy said of the throat-slashings. He said it isn't known yet who , if anyone , will get the '25,000 reward that was offered for the arrest and conviction of Swank~'s killer. Thal is to be determined by the San Diego Crime Commission and investigators. "We developed him

Sheriff John Duffy credl1ed public concern and response and professional work by homicide detectives for breaking tbe series of Ea t (:e>unty throat al1U1hing1. response to the beating of a woman . ''.;he_re was a lot of people and a Jot of party in· goin ' on, sa1d_Joe 81eda. "A lot of trasll in the backyard, a little nudity. It was pretty wild ." Mike Morris, 21, said he and a friend saw Lucas beating a woman who lived at the horn~ early 111st summer. Deputies came then and the woman went to a hospital. "He (Lucas ) was out in the front throwing her around and yelling," said Morris . "All she had ariiun~ her was a blanket. it looked like. Isa"." her on the ground after Jie hit her and he ~icked her m the head."