ANAHEIM : New Court Date Set for Murder Suspect

The arraignment of an 18-year-old Anaheim woman charged with the murder of 9-year-old Autumn Wallace was continued Friday, and the public defender said he may ask for a change of venue.

Maria del Rosio Alfaro is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the June 15 slaying of Autumn, who was found stabbed to death in her home. Police said Alfaro was an acquaintance of the slain girl’s older sister, April, and had visited the home on several occasions.

“She appears young and frightened by the situation,” Stephen J. Biskar, deputy public defender, said after the hearing at Central Municipal Court in Santa Ana. “They’re going to go for the death penalty. In a case like this, because of the local outcry, there may be a change of venue. But I won’t know that until I’ve had the opportunity to thoroughly review the case.”

Authorities said a fingerprint found inside the family’s home was the key factor leading to Alfaro’s arrest. Alfaro, also charged with burglary and robbery, was picked up for questioning Wednesday before being booked into the Orange County Jail early Thursday. She is being held without bail.

Police also are searching for two men who were seen in front of the Wallace house near a gold, late-1970s-model Chevrolet Monte Carlo on the afternoon of Autumn’s death. Biskar said he expects police to arrest the other two suspects within the next week. “They have enough leads,” he said.

Autumn lived with her mother and sister in an unincorporated area between Stanton and Anaheim. A popular student at Dr. Jonas E. Salk Elementary School, Autumn was apparently home alone at the time of the slaying, waiting for her mother to return from work. She was found face-down in a pool of blood.

Investigators have speculated that the girl let her attackers in willingly because they found no sign of forced entry. Authorities declined to say whether Alfaro is believed to be the person who actually killed the girl, who died of a loss of blood from multiple stab wounds.

The next court date is set for July 16 before Municipal Judge Robert E. Thomas.