San Diego
The preliminary hearing for Willie Ray Roberts Jr., accused in the slaying of an East San Diego girl, continued Wednesday with testimony by the man who discovered the body and by Roberts’ former employer.
Roberts, 33, is accused of several counts, including murder, in the July 12, 1988, death of 17-year-old Melissa Orchulli and the June 29, 1988, beating of Maria Garcia.
Leroy Thompson said he discovered Orchulli’s body while looking for a house to rent. After entering a Euclid Avenue house through an unlocked back door, Thompson said, he saw the body in the hallway.
“There was blood all along the wall,” he said. “I could see her head had been damaged awfully bad.”
Jackie Birch, a landscaper for whom Roberts worked, testified that Roberts called July 12 to say he couldn’t report to work because he had to meet with a parole officer.
The hearing will continue today with testimony expected from the coroner who examined Orchulli.
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