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On Monday, January 10, 2011, 29 years after a Lancaster man was found dead in his home, a suspect will be arraigned for his murder.

On May 2, of 1981, two young family members of Joseph Azevedo came home and found him dead inside his mobile home in Lancaster. Lancaster Sheriff's Station deputies were called to the scene at the 42000 block of 6th Street East, Lancaster, and determined the 50 year old Hispanic man had been murdered.

Sheriff's Homicide detectives and the Los Angeles County Coroner determined Mr. Azevedo had been shot to death and his home had been burglarized. Sheriff's detectives gathered forensic evidence at the scene in 1981, conducted interviews and followed leads. Unfortunately, the leads were exhausted without being able to identify the suspect.

Decades passed without any new clues.

In 2006, Sheriff's Cold Case Homicide detectives reopened the case and followed several leads. With the assistance of the Sheriff's Crime Lab (Scientific Services Bureau), a new fingerprint and DNA analysis using significant advancements in techonology, led investigators to a likely suspect. However, information available at the time was not sufficient to prosecute the case. Again, leads on the case ran cold.

In May 2010, Cold Case Homicide Detective Joe Purcell, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, reopened the case. Statements made by the suspect, witnesses, and others were re-examined and re-investigated. Important new information gained during the investigation, combined with modern forensic analysis, enabled detectives to identify the suspect as Christopher David Winter, a White male who is now 55 years old.

Cold Case Homicide Detective Purcell presented the case anew with the case filing deputy district attorney with the Major Crimes Division, Criminal Courts Building, of the Los Angeles County District Attorney. The D.A's office concurred with the evidence against the suspect, and filed charges against Suspect Winter on November 2, 2010.

The charges include one count of murder and one count of residential burglary, with an armed allegation and special circumstances (Case number BA377645). An arrest warrant was soon issued.

Detectives believe Suspect Winter was burglarizing the home and when surprised by Mr. Azevedo, killed him. Azevedo was last seen alive by family members on May 1, 1981. His body was found May 2, 1981.

Detective Purcell learned that the suspect was working as a long-haul truck driver. He worked with agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in an effort to locate him. They soon found him in Ohio. FBI agents infomed officers with the Tripp City Police Department that the suspect was at a distribution center in their city. FBI agents and Tripp City police officers saw the suspect, approached him, and took him into custody without incident on South County Road, on November 6, 2010.

This type of multi-agency cooperation and communication among local policing agencies and federal agents has also improved through the decades.

Extradition proceedings then began and were soon concluded.

Sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau extradition unit detectives travelled to Ohio and took Winter into custody in the city of Troy, where he was being held. He was brought back on Thursday night, January 6, 2011, and is being held without bail in the Los Angeles County jail. His next court date in Monday, January 10.

"We want the families and the community to know that some homicides may have previously been unsolved, but they are not forgotten," said Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit Lieutenant Wes Sutton. "The homicide detectives of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will never rest in solving the terrible crime of homicide, no matter how many years it takes."


For many years, Sheriff's Cold Case detectives have been systematically opening hundreds of older cases to see if recent significant modern advances in forensic science can provide new clues or confirmations as to the identity of suspects or provide other information that could lead to a suspect.

Some of the advances include fingerprint analysis and DNA analysis.

When the unique nature of fingerprints was first discovered, it was necessary to find a likely suspect to compare the fingerprints to. In later years, with improvements in computers, technology, partnerships between law enforcement agencies, public support, special funding and more, fingerprint databases were created and expanded through the years. More recently, these advancements and creation of databases have gone through a similarly improved transition with DNA.

Cold Case Homicide investigators don't just take a fresh look at forensic evidence. They also review all witness statements and follow leads that may have run cold in years past. In this era and information age, and as years pass, sometimes possible missing witnesses can be located and interviewed or re-interviewed.



Direct any information to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Homicide Bureau’s Cold Case Unit at 323-890-5000. Or if you wish to remain anonymous, call "LA Crime Stoppers" by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org
　

Lieutenant Wes Sutton
Sheriff's Cold Case Unit
Homicide Bureau
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
(323) 890-5500

Captain Mike Parker
Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau - Newsroom
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
(323) 267-4800

Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department


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