Disturbing Details Revealed In Murder of Woman Found In Trash as Boyfriend Is Charged

On Monday, the Orange County district attorney’s office announced her boyfriend, 49-year-old Costa Mesa resident Daniel Allen Aldrich, has been charged with one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement of the personal use of a weapon in the death.

Per the DA, Aldrich is accused of strangling his girlfriend after the pair got into an argument “after a night of drinking” on Sunday, October 20. He also allegedly slit her wrist with a folding knife, then left her body “on the couch while he watched television before going to bed.”

Authorities say he then dragged her body outside before “stuffing her body inside of a trash can, on the side of the house.” After that, he allegedly packed up a bag and went to his mother’s home in Glendale.

It wasn’t until Tuesday that Sanetra’s body — which was “partially outside of the trashcan” — was discovered by landscapers hired to mow the lawn. They called police, leading to Aldrich’s arrest at his mother’s home.

“Julie Sanetra did not deserve to be strangled and stuffed into a trashcan like a piece of garbage,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “The callousness of this crime shocks the conscience, and we will do everything to get justice for Julie and her loved ones.”

Alrdich will be arraigned on November 19, 2024 and is currently being held on $1 million bail. He faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life if convicted as charged.