Suspect Charged in Women’s Murders
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An Westminster man who was the object of a nationwide manhunt after allegedly killing his sister-in-law and an employee in July was arraigned Thursday in Orange County Municipal Court after being extradited from Colorado to face murder charges here.
Douglas Frederick Stanley, 57, is accused of fatally shooting his sister-in-law, Joyce Stanley, 52, and her employee, Terry Vasquez, 41, on July 8 at Joyce Stanley’s embroidery business in Fountain Valley. He then allegedly fled in her car.
He was arrested July 11 in the western Colorado town of Parachute. Orange County authorities believe Stanley intended to head for Wyoming, where he had lived and worked as a ranch hand until moving to California a little more than a year ago.
After his arrest, Stanley opted to fight extradition. The extradition order signed Tuesday by Judge Charles Buss ended almost two months of what public defender David Eisner called “a paperwork zoo.”
If convicted, Stanley could face the death penalty, the Orange County district attorney’s office said.
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