ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE
December 18, 2014
Case # 14CF3982
*This is the first cold case investigation by OCHTF resulting in a murder charge
SANTA ANA – A man has been charged for a 1989 cold case murder as a result of extensive investigative work by the Orange County Cold Case Homicide Task Force (OCHTF). Douglas Gregory Gutridge, 63, Lodi, is charged with one felony count of murder. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. He is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 2, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana.
In June 1989, Gutridge, then 37 years old, is accused of murdering 35-year-old Carla Salazar inside her apartment in Santa Ana. The defendant is accused of providing information about the murder to the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) during the initial stages of the investigation. SAPD thoroughly investigated this case but did not have enough evidence to file charges against Gutridge. Continue reading