Officers Describe Evidence Found At Bay Area Serial Killer Suspect's Home
SAN RAFAEL (CBS SF) - The Marin County District Attorney's Office presented evidence Wednesday afternoon that it believes links suspected serial killer Joseph Naso to at least one of four murders of reputed prostitutes between 1977 and 1994.
Deputy District Attorney Dori Ahana reviewed dozens of photographs and photo collages taken from Naso's Reno home during searches on April 23 and May 7, 2010.
The photos show nine women posing nude or partially nude, some of whom appear to be unconscious or deceased.
Among the women is Pamela Parsons, 38, who was found dead in Yuba County in 1993, prosecutors said.
The women posed in red high heels with white straps and in hosiery with or without garters often on a bed with a red sheet and a distinctive headboard.
"There were hundreds of pictures of Pamela Parsons throughout the house," said Richard Brown, the lead investigator with the Nevada Department of Public Safety.
"It took five detectives eight weeks to process all the evidence," Brown said.
Some of the photos depicted bondage and some of the drawings found in Naso's home were of women who were bound at the ankles in the trunk or the back seat of a car.
Nevada Public Safety Department investigators also found the covers of "True Crime" magazines with articles about sex slaves and bondage.
Ahana also showed a photo that was found in Naso's home of four mannequins that were hung from a ceiling from a ligature around their necks.
"Some of the victims in this case died of strangulation," Brown testified.
Naso, 78, who is representing himself at the preliminary hearing, objected to the prosecution admitting the photos and photos of posterboard collages into evidence.
"What is the significance to this case? None of these people (in the photos) are deceased," he said.
"What goes on in the privacy of a home is to be held private and sacred. None of these victims were in high heels. It's disgusting," Naso said.
Judge Andrew Sweet may rule Thursday on the admissibility of the photos into evidence.
Brown also testified that detectives found ledgers and calendars inside Naso's house.
One ledger showed Naso was in Marysville, in Yuba County, between Sept. 12 and Sept. 19 in 1993.
Parsons body was found in rural Yuba County on Sept. 19, 1993.
In a ledger entry on Aug. 5, 1994, Naso wrote, "Met Tracy. Put it to her," Brown said.
Brown said Naso was referring to a sexual assault.
According to the Marin County Sheriff's Office, Tracy Tafoya, 31, was reported missing on Aug. 6, 1994, in the Yuba City area. Her body was found on state Highway 70 near the Marysville cemetery.
Aug. 5, 1994, is the last day Tafoya was known to be alive, Brown said.
On a list of ten women and their geographic locations that was found in Naso's home, number 10 on the list read "girl Mrsv (cemetery)," Brown said.
The prosecution is alleging the list contains info about the four murder victims.
The other two victims are Roxene Roggasch, 18, of Oakland, who was found dead near Fairfax in 1977, and Carmen Colon, 22, an East Bay resident who was found dead in Port Costa in Contra Costa County in 1978.
The preliminary hearing resumes at 9 a.m. Thursday.
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