An unsolved murder in Malibu and its trail that went cold has now been solved according to police. Authorities say they have DNA evidence that proves who killed 17-year-old Gladys Arellano 27 years ago. The suspect, Jose Luis Garcia, 42, was arrested in Texas. Garcia pled guilty last week to kidnapping and voluntary manslaughter. Garcia faces 19 years in prison.
Police say Arellano was kidnapped on Super Bowl Sunday in 1996. Her body was found two days later in Topanga Canyon in Malibu far from her Boyle Heights home. Arellano had been sexually assaulted, beaten and strangled. Garcia will be sentenced August 15. His arrest is credited to a retired detective, Joe Purcell, who is among a dozen or so retired detectives who work part time handling cold cases. There are as many as 15,000 in Los Angeles County.