Costa Mesa man charged with murdering girlfriend, dumping body in trashcan after a drunken fight

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Costa Mesa man has been charged with murder for strangling his girlfriend to death and slitting her wrist and then leaving her body in a trashcan at his home after an argument following a night of drinking, according to the OCDA.

Daniel Allen Aldrich, 49, of Costa Mesa, has been charged with one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement of the personal use of a weapon in the death of 38-year-old Julie Anne Sanetra whose body was found by landscapers hired to mow the property’s lawn.

Aldrich faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life if convicted on all charges. He is scheduled to be arraigned on November 19, 2024 at the Stephen K. Tamura Justice Center in Westminster in Department W12. He is currently being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

On Sunday, October 20, 2024, Aldrich is accused of strangling Sanetra after the couple got into an argument and then slitting her wrist with a folding knife.  Aldrich is accused of leaving Sanetra’s body on the couch while he watched television before going to bed.

The next day, Aldrich is accused of dragging Sanetra’s body outside and stuffing her body inside of a trashcan, on the side of the house. Aldrich is accused of going back inside, packing a bag, and then driving to his mother’s home in Glendale.

On Tuesday, landscapers called the Costa Mesa Police Department after they discovered Sanetra’s body partially outside of the trashcan when they arrived at the residence to mow the lawn. Aldrich was arrested at his mother’s Glendale home by Costa Mesa police.

“Julie Sanetra did not deserve to be strangled and stuffed into a trashcan like a piece of garbage,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The callousness of this crime shocks the conscience, and we will do everything to get justice for Julie and her loved ones.”

Senior Deputy District Attorney Nick Thomo of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.