Man, 66, found guilty of strangling his 30-year-old girlfriend to death and living with her body for more than two weeks
- John Bruce Clauer, 66, has been found guilty of the murder of 30-year-old Heather Stearns
- Clauer strangled and beat Stearns to death in April 2011 and lived with her corpse for more than two weeks
- Neighbors investigating the odor emanating from Clauer's apartment discovered Stearns' body
- Clauer faces up to 25 years prison for the murder
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A California man has been found guilty of murdering his 30-year-old girlfriend and living with her
Convicted: John Clauer faces a 25-year sentence for the murder of his girlfriend Heather Stearns
body in his apartment for two weeks.
A jury convicted Santa Cruz resident John Bruce Clauer, 66, following a three-week trial after only four hours of deliberation.
Clauer now faces up to 25 years in prison for the murder of Heather Stearns, 30.
'We were extremely pleased that they (the jury) were not out very long, and we were extremely pleased with the verdict,' prosecutor Jeff Rosell told the Santa Cruz Sentinel outside court.
Clauer reportedly sighed and was reprimanded for outbursts during the trial, but faced the verdict stoically.
Jury foreman Conrado Montes, 71, told the Sentinal that testimony from Clauer's neighbors and ex-girlfriends during the trial 'was like seeing one of those really bad horror movies.'
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ShareClauer's neighbors and ex-girlfriends testified during the trial, as well as police, the Santa Cruz County coroner and others.
'He [Clauer] was slowly building up this hatred [for Stearns]. He was like a time bomb. It all came to a halt one night.'
The jury heard how Stearns was strangled and stomped to death in Clauer's apartment near the San Lorenzo Rivermouth in April 2011.
The Sentinal reports that Stearns was an alcoholic whose dependency had taken over her life. She lived with Clauer because he provided her with a place to stay and booze.
According to neighbors, the couple argued regularly and the sounds of Clauer's vicious beating of Stearns was nothing unusual, so they turned up the television and did not notify police.
It wasn't until a strong odor emanating from Clauer's apartment two weeks later led the neighbors to investigate. The obtained keys from the building manager and entered the apartment.
They discovered Stearns' corpse, wrapped in blankets on a bed.
Victim: Heather Stearns was beaten and strangled by Clauer in his apartment
Grim discovery: Heather Stearns body was discovered in John Clauer's flat more than two weeks after he killed her
Justice: Heather Stearns' mother said her daughter was her best friend
Clauer's defense claimed that another man had murdered Stearns, but the jury was not convinced.
Stearns' mother could not attend the trial because it was too traumatic for her. A victim's advocate updated her daily.
She recently posted on Facebook about her daughter, saying she was more than an alcoholic who had trouble with the law.
'I know Heather was no angel, and you've heard about Heather's bad behavior. The fact remains, she was a human being who was brutally beaten and strangled to death,' she wrote.
'I miss my best friend, you were my heart. Even though you are gone, I think of you every day and I have my memories that will last forever.'
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