WHITTIER POLICE DEPARTMENT MAKES ARREST ON A 30-YEAR-OLD RAPE/HOMICIDE COLD CASE

Posted On: April 20, 2012

WHITTIER POLICE DEPARTMENT MAKES ARREST ON A 30-YEAR-OLD RAPE/HOMICIDE COLD CASE 

Whittier, CA--On June 27, 1981 a rape and homicide occurred in the 7600 block of Washington Avenue in the city of Whittier. The victim, identified as Blanca Stella Negrete, was a 21 year-old female who worked at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death to be strangulation. At the time of the homicide, Whittier Police detectives exhausted all leads and were not able to identify a suspect.

In May of 2010, Whittier Police homicide detectives re-opened the case and identified sexual assault evidence, which was collected in 1981, that possibly contained evidentiary DNA. As a result, this evidence was sent to the Los Angeles County Crime Lab for DNA processing.

On January 19, 2011, Whittier Police homicide detectives learned that the evidence submitted produced enough DNA for a match. The information was entered into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) and the DNA matched to a person named Joseph Allen Thornton. In addition, Whittier Police homicide detectives conducted an extensive follow-up investigation both locally and with the assistance of the Topeka Police Department in Kansas, where Thornton resided for many years.

On April 18, 2012, Whittier Police homicide detectives working in conjunction with the Placer County Sheriff’s Department arrested Joseph Allen Thornton, 51 (4-19-61) at a residence in Auburn, California. He was then transported to the Whittier Police Department where he was booked for murder. Thornton was 20 years-old at the time he committed this murder.  

Today, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed murder charges with the special allegation of rape against Thornton. He will be arraigned on May 10th, in the Whittier Superior Court, Division 1 at 8am.  Joseph Allen Thornton is being held without bail at the Los Angeles County Jail.  

For information please contact Lt. Kent Miller 562-567-9211 or 562-505-6981