Mexican officials nab 1990 Castroville murder suspect - The Salinas Californian
It's as if they've been handled hundreds of times. Thousands, maybe. But Juan "John" Piña handles them expertly — delicately, even. Christy Sue Piña was barely 14 years old when she was found nude and dead in a Castroville artichoke field. Monterey County sheriff's deputies reportedly found a chloroform-soaked rag next to her ravaged body. Piña says he knows his daughter's killer. Local prosecutors say they do too. And now that he's in custody, law enforcement is one step closer to wrapping up the case. Christy was one of 32 homicide victims in 1990 in Monterey County. After 25 years, her case is so cold, Piña calls it "a freezer case. His daughter was "an outstanding student," Piña says. In 1990, she was attending eighth grade at Greenfield Union School. Teachers found Chris — her school nickname — to be "exceptionally creative and talented. " Christy was enrolled in GATE, an accelerated learning program. After her death, seven teachers involved in the seventh- and eighth-grade programs recalled Christy in a letter. A yearbook photo taken the year before her death shows a smiling girl, maybe a little small for her age, wearing in a teal blouse. Source: www.thecalifornian.com
