A 44-year-old man charged with the 1988 rape and murder of Buena Park resident Gehimne Chandler is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow at the Central Jail in Santa Ana. Daniel Edward McDermott, faces one felony count of murder with special circumstances.
The 44-year-old McDermott, was arrested on Dec.12 after investigators with the Orange County District Attorney's Office began reexamining the decades-old cold case. In October, McDermott, who was residing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, agreed to meet with Buena Park Police and OCDA investigators who traveled there to conduct a followup interview.
According to a DA press release, McDermott provided a saliva sample. Further testing showed his DNA matched that of a 24-year-old semen sample taken at the crime scene.
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The DA alleges that McDermott entered Chandler's home in the early morning hours of January 11, 1988, then raped and strangled her. Her father found the 18-year-old woman's body at 5:30 a.m. and called Buena Park police who investigated the case. If convicted, McDermott faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
