Man found guilty of Spring Valley Christmas Eve murder
A judge found a homeless man guilty Wednesday for murdering a Spring Valley woman on Christmas Eve last year. Judge James Huber deliberated for more than an hour before deciding that Juan Perez-Coira
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Dec 18, 2014, 12:29 AM
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Updated 3,600 days ago
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A judge found a homeless man guilty Wednesday for murdering a Spring Valley woman on Christmas Eve last year.
Judge James Huber deliberated for more than an hour before deciding that Juan Perez-Coira is guilty of second-degree murder. He was charged in the 2013 Christmas Eve death of Debra Burns.
Members of Burns' family wept and hugged each other after the judge handed down his verdict in a non-jury trial.
In addition to being convicted of murder, Coira was also found guilty of an attempted criminal sex act. The judge said that there was not enough evidence that Coira had raped Burns.
Coira maintained that he had no physical contact with Burns on the night she died. But, investigators found large amounts of her blood and Coira's semen in his underwear.
Burns' daughters say the verdict does give them some satisfaction.
Coira remains in custody as he waits for his sentencing on March 3.
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