GUILTY CA - Heather Stearns, 30, brutally murdered, Santa Cruz, 7 April 2011

I have to wonder what caused the "storied past".


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110428...uX2hlYWRsaW5lX2xpc3QEc2xrA3BvbGljZWNhbGlmbQ--

Police: Calif. man lived with dead woman for week

"Complaints of an unusual smell led police to discover a woman's badly decomposed body inside a California studio apartment where they say a man had been living with the corpse for at least a week. Santa Cruz police officers found the 30-year-old woman's body after entering the apartment at about 7 p.m. Tuesday. Investigators haven't been able to establish how the woman died because of the deteriorated state of her body, authorities said Wednesday...."

and

"...The apartment's resident, 63-year-old John Clauer, was in custody on a no-bail parole hold based on a prior drug conviction, [Police Chief, Steve] Clark said. It wasn't clear if Clauer and the woman were sharing the apartment as roommates or if they were romantically involved...."

and

"...If it is indeed a homicide, then he becomes a suspect," Clark said. "He could also be charged with failure to report a death as appropriate." Clauer has had what Clark described as a "storied history" with Santa Cruz police.."

more at link

Hmmmm, I wonder if he has a storied past in Virginia, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, Missouri (I figured that one would come up), Tennessee, and he hailed from Weird Wissconsin. No offense as my State got it's share of weird.

That's a ton of States and I didn't add California. Many of those States he lived in multiple towns.

What is up with Mr. Clauer?

You know Filly, I can't quite figure it out either. He sure does show up in a lot of places. Poor Missouri--such a lovely place and yet we sure do have a lot of nasty threads on that state. Wisconsin too.

Santa Cruz is an extremely liberal and accepting town. Unique people do NOT stick out in Santa Cruz. For them to say that Clauer has a "storied past" is saying something, let me tell you.

I keep wondering when "story hour" begins.

I finally found out Clauer's full name:

http://www.localcrimenews.com/lookup.php?jid=5951328

Clauer, John B - (M/W) Age: 63
1104 E Cliff Dr Apt 7
Santa Cruz , CA 95062-3750 Verified Address
Reported: 04/27/2011 by Crime Reporter: 7235
Crime Report #: 5951328
Source: Santa Cruz PD

F PC3056 Violation Parole:Felony



In checking the 63 year old John Clauers in the US, it's got to be John Bruce Clauer. That cancels out a number of those other states. I'm seeing him come up only for Santa Cruz and Watsonville, CA--not far away. There's a FB page for a man with this first and last name who looks very similar to the mug shot. Not sure if it's the same guy. The man on FB has a connection to Illinois.

Here's our story. I don't know if this counts as "storied". Lots of older nutty surfer guys out there. Odd that the neighbors reported a horrible smell and the LEO didn't notice it. I think "storied" means that Clauer had a lot of minor run-ins with the law and was a tad bit on the quirky side. I'm hopeful that the 30 year old woman died of natural causes. I hope Clauer didn't fail to get her medical help if that would have saved her.

http://m.santacruzsentinel.com/sant...d=1fXolBL9&detailindex=2&pn=0&ps=10&full=true

Hold the phone. I was totally wrong. New info is coming out and it looks like the young woman died a horrible death. This is not good. The article above mentions that they lived on the third floor. I wonder if she fell or was pushed?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110428...lYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDcG9saWNlY2FsaWZt

Decomposing body in CA apt had trauma

" A 30-year-old woman whose boyfriend had been living for days with her badly decomposed remains had died of significant physical trauma, authorities said Thursday. An autopsy showed Heather Stearns suffered multiple injuries, "and many of them had the potential to be life-threatening," said Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Steve Clark. He declined to elaborate, citing the investigation. Police have classified her death as a homicide.

Authorities said she likely died more than a week before her corpse was found Tuesday in John Clauer's apartment in Santa Cruz. Police were led to the home after neighbors complained about an unusual odor. Clark said Stearns and Clauer had a romantic relationship. Neighbors told police they often heard Clauer and Stearns arguing, and that the two were often drunk..."

more at link

Looks like Heather was also involved in the bike program with Clauer:

http://www.myspace.com/bike2work

and this seems to be her:

http://www.myspace.com/lilshorty121683

Sad, sad, sad. Heather's life.



http://www.mercurynews.com/central-coast/ci_17955659?nclick_check=1



My heart breaks for her grandmom.

And it just gets sadder....

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/rss/ci_17960794

Coroner's report: Santa Cruz woman was strangled, beaten


"Heather Marie Stearns was strangled and kicked to death, according to a coroner's report released to her family this week. The 30-year-old Santa Cruz woman found dead in an East Cliff Drive apartment Tuesday could have died from any of the injuries, said Deputy Chief Steve Clark. Detectives on Friday continued to gather evidence against the apartment's tenant, 63-year-old John Clauer, who is in County Jail without bail. "There's a lot of information that points to Mr. Clauer. We think that he's responsible." Clark said...."

and

"....The coroner's report said Stearns died by strangulation "at the hands of another." She had cuts in her liver consistent with kicking, and she had a myocardial contusion - or a bruised heart. The report also said Stearns had cerebral edema, or an excess of fluid in the brain...."

more at link



When will we ever discover a true cure for addiction? This story just breaks my heart. So much potential, such a tragic loss. Rest in peace, Heather.

From January 2014:

http://www.ksbw.com/news/central-ca...who-lived-with-body-guilty-of-murder/24139380

John Bruce Clauer made numerous boisterous outbursts during his Santa Cruz murder trial when he disagreed with what prosecutors were saying about him.

But when a jury read their verdict Monday and announced they found him guilty of first-degree murder, Clauer was silent. His facial expression was blank...

Rosell said Clauer's grisly attack on Stearns in April 2011 included blows to the head that made her brain bleed, and choking that broke her neck.

Click to expand...

From May 2014:

http://www.ksbw.com/news/central-ca...ved-with-body-in-apartment-sentenced/24984676

John Clauer of Santa Cruz was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for murdering 30-year-old Heather Stearns.

Click to expand...