Suspect convicted 35 years after woman killed during Stockton burglary
STOCKTON – Prosecutors announced Wednesday that a defendant was found guilty of murder during a burglary 35 years ago in Stockton.
In 1989, Ching Jeung was found beaten in her home in Stockton. Prosecutors said she was found with facial bruises, broken teeth and injuries that were consistent with sexual assault.
At the scene, officers recovered fingerprints and other evidence, including a JC Penney box lid that appeared to have Jeung's blood on it. However, the suspect was not identified at the time.
But in 2019, the latent prints were reexamined and the Department of Justice identified Marco Antonio Berrelleza as the source of the fingerprints. Fingerprints that were found on broken glass from a window were believed to be from Berrelleza's entry.
Berrelleza denied responsibility for the murder during the investigation, prosecutors said, but admitted to committing other burglaries in the area, often breaking windows and entering.
On Wednesday, Berrelleza was convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances for committing the murder during a burglary and an attempted rape.