P. v. Carlson CA1/1
In April 1984, Tina Faelz, a 14-year-old high school student, was found dead on a path that connected her school to a nearby residential area. She had suffered 44 stab wounds, and the killing remained an open cold case for the better part of three decades. In 2011, DNA testing revealed the presence of defendant Steven Carlson’s blood on Faelz’s purse, which had been found in a nearby tree at the time of the crime. Defendant, 16 years old at the time of the killing, attended the same high school as Faelz.
In addition to the DNA evidence, the prosecution introduced statements defendant made during law enforcement interviews. In a 1986 interview, two years after the crime, an investigating detective asked defendant about a rumor he had heard that defendant had admitted the killing. Defendant acknowledged he had done so, but said he had been intoxicated and was joking.
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