77yo Joseph Naso Arrested For 4 Murders Dating Back To 1977,Possible Serial Killer

[Whisper]

(CNN) -- A Reno, Nevada, man is charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of four northern California women dating back more than three decades, authorities said Tuesday.

Joseph Naso, 77, was arrested Monday by Marin County, California, detectives following his release from the El Dorado County jail, also in California, where he had been in custody over the past year on unrelated charges, Marin County District Attorney Ed Berberian told reporters.

Naso is charged in the 1977 murder of Roxene Roggash in Marin County; Pamela Parsons and Tracy Tofoya of Yuba County, California, whose bodies were found in 1993 and 1994, respectively; and the death of Carmen Colon in Contra Costa County, California, whose body was found in 1978, Berberian said. He is eligible for the death penalty.

Roggash's murder was considered unsolved until Naso was arrested in April 2010 by Nevada parole and probation authorities, Berberian said. During that arrest, police found items that implicated Naso "in multiple murders of young women," he said.

CNN affiliate KGO said Naso, who had been convicted of grand theft at a grocery store, had a probation officer visit him at his home near Reno and found weapons. Naso spent a year in the El Dorado County Jail for the violation and was arrested upon his departure Monday, KGO said. A search of his home turned up photographs and writings tying him to the deaths, according to the station.

Berberian was tightlipped about details Tuesday, citing the ongoing investigation. He said Marin County has agreed to prosecute Naso for all four murders.

Naso's arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, Berberian said, and he will be presented with a criminal complaint at the hearing. He was being held without bail in the Marin County Jail on Tuesday, Berberian said.

Although authorities have yet to link Naso to any slayings in Nevada, Chris Perry, acting director of the Nevada Department of Public Safety, left open the possibility of more victims.

"We're hoping that people who have missing relatives will take a look at this and maybe put a couple of the pieces together and get that information to us so we can follow up on it," he told reporters.

[...]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/04/12/...ngs/index.html

Joseph Naso

Authorities Release Timeline of Joseph Naso Case
Authorties have now released a timeline on Joseph Naso, who has been arrested on four murder counts dating back to 1971.

Naso Investigation Timeline

Name: Joseph Naso
Residence: 300 Block of Medgar Avenue Reno, Nevada (Lemmon Valley)
Born: January 7, 1934 New York State
Armed Services: Air Force from 1953 to 1957

Relocated: Moved from Northern California to Nevada - 1994

Married: 1962

Divorced: 1980

Acceptance process: Reported to Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS) Parole and Probation (P&P) on July 15, 2009

Investigation interview took place on August 12, 2009

First interview is a brief overview of the parolee/probationer’s criminal history and an explanation for Nevada’s policy & procedures.

Transferred to Nevada: August 17, 2009 on an Interstate Compact from El Dorado County, California with probation to expire on 6-21-2012.

Interstate compact is when another state agrees to take responsibility and authority for supervising an offender because they reside in their state.

Nevada Supervision: P&P officer assigned dictates the day and time for the parolee/probationer to report to the office; offenders to report to office minimum of once per month. All at home visits are unannounced and are made at the discretion of the officer. Frequency is based upon the offender’s supervision level. Search any and all areas (residence, property, vehicle, person, etc.) which the offender has access to, as deemed necessary. Communicate with offender to determine whether they are in compliance and meeting the conditions of their supervision.

Home visits conducted under NV supervision:

September 10, 2009

December 9, 2009

April 13, 2010

Department of Public Safety/Parole and Probation Officer:

Wes Jackson serving the public since November 27, 2007

Officer Jackson made a home visit on April 13, 2010 at 7:30p.m.

Officer Jackson discovered ammunition in an ashtray further inspection uncovered an additional round of ammunition and a newspaper article advertising a weapon on his person.

Booked on Murder charges in Marin County, California on April 11, 2011:

Roxene Roggasch – Marin County - found deceased in 1977

Carmen Colon – Contra Costa County - found deceased in 1978

Pamela Parsons – Yuba County - found deceased in 1993

Tracy Tafoya – Marysville - Yuba County-found deceased in 1994

Agencies Involved with Investigation:

Department of Public Safety, Division Parole and Probation

Department of Public Safety, Division of Investigations

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office

Washoe County District Attorney’s Office

Federal Bureau of Investigation – Reno, Nevada and Northern California

California Agencies:

Marin County Sheriff’s Office

Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office

Yuba County Sheriff’s Office

Timeline:

4/13/10 - At 7:30 p.m. Parole and Probation Officer Wes Jackson conducted a home visit at Joseph Naso's residence. Officer Jackson observed a round of .380 ammunition in an ashtray, and an additional round of ammunition along with an advertisement for a gun in Naso's shirt that he was wearing.

Once back up officers arrived, Officer Jackson contacted the name and number listed in the advertisement. His findings confirmed that Naso attempted to purchase the weapon. Naso was placed into ustody and brought to the Washoe County Detention Facility.

4/29/10 - State of Nevada works with the State of California concerning the Interstate Compact involved in this case.

4/30/10 - Naso was served his probation violation paperwork by P&P officers. Naso requests a hearing.

5/3/10 - Paperwork is completed and filed on new charges for Naso.

5/4/10 - P&P provides an update on status of Naso’s probation case.

5/10/10 - During the time Naso was incarcerated, the Naso Task Force housed at WCSO, continued the investigation by processing and examining evidence, interviewing numerous people throughout the country and conducting numerous case briefings with multiple Law enforcement agencies around the country in order to attempt to identify additional potential victims. Task force is comprised of DPS - P&P, NDI, WCSO, FBI and WC DA.

7/12/10 - Naso is transported back to El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe, California and was booked for probation violation.

4/11/11 - Naso arrested by Marin County Sheriff's Office upon his release from Eldorado County Jail on probation violations.

4/12/11 - Marin County District Attorney's Office to hold press conference at 11:00 a.m. in the Marin County Office of Emergency Services, 3501 Civic Center Drive, Room 266, San Rafael, CA. They will be releasing the four victim's names.

4/12/11 - Nevada Department of Public Safety - Investigation Division and Washoe County Sheriff's Office to hold a joint press conference at the Washoe County Sheriff's Office at 11:00 a.m. at 911 Parr Blvd. in Reno.

http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines...119733934.html

[badfish76]

Serial killers fascinate me because the kill in cold blood over and over again. They have a fetish for death that I just can't comprehend. The fact that they are able to kill a human being and go about their day as if everything is normal just defies belief. If I think I am about to get a traffic ticket I have a small panic attack and these people commit the worst crime a person can commit and it doesn't even phase them.

I also find it astonishing that they are able to deal with dead bodies like they are picking up laundry off the floor. I can't handle touching anything dead. It just freaks me out. Not wild animals or pets or anything, let alone a human.

I wonder what they found that make them believe that this guy did the crimes? I guess they said there were some writings and such, but anyone can write anything and that doesn't make it true. I wonder what the photographs were of? I shudder to think! I also wonder if he had "aged out" since that is one of the three ways that serial killers stop killing. Was he still killing women? I am also curious about his MO and signature.

If anyone sees more info about this case, please do post. I am super curious.

[Dex]

I find the alliterative names of the victims very curious:
Roxene Roggasch
Carmen Colon
Pamela Parsons
Tracy Tafoya.

Could he have chosen his victims by their names?

[Whisper]

I find the alliterative names of the victims very curious:
Roxene Roggasch
Carmen Colon
Pamela Parsons
Tracy Tafoya.

Could he have chosen his victims by their names?

I didnt even notice that
You could be right,each serial killer has their own"signature" kinda thing maybe this is his

[princessgrandma]

If he is 77 years old, does that mean they'll give him a slap on the wrist, like probation or house arrest, and send him on his way? God, I hope not.

[DamagedGoods]

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_17864737

The 77-year-old serial killing suspect charged last week with slaying four Northern California women kept boxes of notebooks detailing how he wanted to torture women, along with a numbered list of targets, a former neighbor of Joseph Naso's said a detective told him.

Thaddeus Iorizzo's wife was No. 10 on the list. Investigators found three composition notebooks solely dedicated to Margaret Prisco, who was pursued by Naso as a 23-year-old in 1981 in San Francisco's Mission district, Iorizzo said a Nevada detective told him.
[...]
Authorities found evidence during a probation search of Naso's home in 2010 that linked him to the unsolved killings of Roxene Roggasch, found near Fairfax in January 1977; Carmen Colon, found near Port Costa in August 1978; Pamela Parsons, found in September 1993 in Yuba County; and Tracy Tafoya, found in Marysville, also in Yuba County, in August 1994.

The alliterative names led authorities to engage other agencies to check cold cases and missing persons files to see if Naso, a self-employed photographer who crisscrossed the country, had connections to other victims. Rochester-area investigators are re-examining the infamous "double initial" slaying cases from the early 1970s, in which three young girls were killed, each with matching first and last initials. One victim's name was Carmen Colon, the same name as one of the Northern California victims.
[...]
The New York natives in their early 20s climbed into their yellow Volkswagen bus and drove Route 66 across the country to see what the Golden Gate would offer. Iorizzo had already lined up a gig playing bass.

The couple scraped by; Iorizzo moved furniture, Prisco got an office job at a car dealership.

The building superintendent at Prisco's job was a man Prisco barely noticed, the then-47-year-old Naso, who had just divorced his wife of 18 years in Oakland.

The couple eventually settled into a Mission district studio apartment in the 3600 block of 18th Street.

They didn't think much about it, but a new tenant lived below them. The car dealership superintendent had moved into the basement.

The young couple quickly noticed Naso's odd behavior, Iorizzo said.
[...]
One morning in San Francisco, Iorizzo said he caught Naso dumping two stacks of pornography magazines neatly wrapped in twine into a garbage bin. Naso denied ownership of the magazines, featuring bondage and women tied up, Iorizzo said.

It got weirder during an afternoon jam session.

As the bass thumped through the complex, Naso wearing only boxers, a tank top and slippers, and holding a bottle of tequila in one hand and shaking his fist screamed at Iorizzo: "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

"I never had anyone threaten my life except for Crazy Joe," Iorizzo said.

By 1982, Iorizzo began getting a "freaky vibe," he said. His metronome would be moved in different angles; clothes would seem out of place.

Uber creepy

[Whisper]

Serial murder defendant from Reno argues he should be own lawyer

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) - A man charged with killing four Northern California women with matching first and last initials decades ago said Thursday he wants to represent himself because he knows the case better than anyone else.
Along with those killings, defendant Joseph Naso is being investigated for possible links to New York's "Double Initial Murders" - killings in the early 1970s of three girls, each with matching initials.

During a hearing in Marin County Superior Court, Naso listened quietly as a judge detailed why representing himself would lower his chance of a successful defense.
Naso, 77, said he understood the pitfalls, but hiring the two or three attorneys he would need to defend a capital case would exhaust his resources.
"I don't feel anyone knows this case as well as I do," Naso said, sitting shackled in a red-and-white-striped jersey and red pants. "I've talked to three pretty good attorneys and have given this a lot o f consideration."

Outside the courtroom, District Attorney Ed Berberian declined comment on Naso's statement about knowing the case but reiterated his belief that Naso has the financial means to hire counsel.

The four women killed in the 1970s and 1990s throughout Northern California all had matching initials Carmen Colon, Roxene Roggasch, Pamela Parsons and Tracy Tafoya. Investigators throughout the state and country are reviewing other cold cases for similarities.
The case against Naso, who was living most recently with his 49-year-old mentally ill son near Reno, Nev., was filed after authorities said they found an "enormous" amount of evidence while searching his home after a probation violation stemming from a theft conviction.

Judge Andrew Sweet said Thursday it was apparent that Naso was literate and understood the materials and questionnaire the court had given him as it determines if he will be allowed to serve as his own lawyer.
When Na so raised concerns about the cost of legal counsel, Sweet asked if he was choosing to represent himself because he cannot afford counsel.

"That's true," Naso said. "Having two or three attorneys I would need would exhaust my resources."

The judge replied, "I'm hearing enough from you regarding your financial situation that puts a question in my mind whether you have to represent yourself or want to represent yourself."

Prosecutors believe Naso has nearly $1 million in assets, and the public defender's office said it did not believe he would qualify as indigent.
[..]

http://www.rgj.com/article/20110505/...cal%20News%7cs

In this April 13, 2011 file photo, Joseph Naso appears in Marin County Superior Court during his arraignment on murder charges in San Rafael, Calif

[Valasca]

Police are looking into whether the 24-year-old cold-case slaying of a woman whose identity remains a mystery could have been committed by suspected serial killer Joseph Naso.

After news of Naso's arrest spread in April, Daly City police Detective Gregg Oglesby noticed similarities between the unsolved killing of a woman found along a roadside and the alleged victims of Naso. The Jane Doe appears to have been strangled, had drugs in her blood and may have been living on the street in an era when police believe Naso, 77, was on the hunt.

Police say the four known victims were prostitutes who had been strangled in the 1970s and 1990s. The four women -- Roxene Roggasch, Pamela Parsons, Carmen Colon and Tracy Tafoya -- were found dumped in rural areas around Northern California. His arrest set police in many Bay Area agencies digging through unsolved killings in search of a link. So far none has led to additional criminal charges.

Oglesby said in the coming months he will send all the physical evidence from Jane Doe's 1987 killing to the San Mateo County crime lab for testing. If DNA not belonging to the victim is found, the detective will use that evidence to get a subpoena for Naso's DNA.

Jane Doe, who appeared to be 25 to 30 years old, was discovered Jan. 11, 1987, by two men crossing San Bruno Avenue near Vale Street in Daly City.

http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo...es/ci_19300480

[VXIII]

Im glad someone is looking out for these women...

[Kaylara]

Names started with the same letters for the first and last names... That's bizarre.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Police in a Northern California town said Tuesday they exhumed the body of a woman found dead decades ago to see if there was a connection to serial killing suspect Joseph Naso.

The unidentified woman's body was recovered from a local creek in 1983. The exhumation took place in April and was followed by a new autopsy and the collection of DNA, Healdsburg Police Chief Kevin Burke told The Associated Press.

So far there have been no results, he said.

Interest in the old case was sparked after investigators found a list describing 10 women in the Nevada home of Naso, who's charged with killing four women in the 1970s and 1990s. One of the entries on the list said "Girl near Healdsburg."

Burke said after that information came to light, his detectives found the 1983 case, which matched the time criteria for when prosecutors believe Naso was operating in the area.

"We looked at what we had and in 1983 there was a Jane Doe whose remains were found in Foss Creek in downtown Healdsburg," Burke said. "At that time they were unable to determine the cause of death due to extreme decomposition of the body."

"So, that's what we had in that period of time, and since it was a female and it was consistent with the time period, we had that body exhumed," he said.

While the body was exhumed in April, Burke said the autopsy results were inconclusive because of the condition of the body.

But detectives still hope DNA can help lead investigators to family members, who might be able to identify the body. The plan is to run the DNA sample through the Department of Justice's database to see if any relatives of the Jane Doe can be identified.
[...]

The 78-year-old Naso is currently representing himself in his preliminary hearing in Marin County Superior Court. He has pleaded not guilty.

Detectives have focused on unsolved cases from other Northern California areas to try and identify the other six women on Naso's list.
[...]

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01...mans-body.html

[princessgrandma]

Good god.... is he still around?

I hadn't read anything and thought maybe they'd put him away or to death or something by now. He needs killing. Bad.

[blacksheep]

Ahhhh he loooks like a toad! I wonder about the talent for normality these freaks have while butchering also. Abottoir workers suffer stress injuries and illnesses more then anyone else. Something that needs killing in this dude is screaming, ugh.

[carolinablue]

Not only is the old bastard going to tried for murder, he's been cleared to represent himself. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ead-women.html

[Abroad]

He now has an attorney helping him after all, and:

The Marin Independent Journal reported that a judge pushed jury selection in the 78-year-old Joseph Naso's trial back to Jan. 14 to give Naso more time to prepare.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-...delayed/nSNWp/

[Abroad]

And more delay:

The prosecution opposed the continuance, but the judge ruled in Naso’s favor because he is representing himself, Slote said.

Naso said he could not be ready for trial in January because of the volume of the reports he has received, Slote said.

The judge also agreed to designate Naso’s advisory counsel, Deputy Public Defender Pedro Oliveros, Naso’s stand-by counsel, Slote said.

As stand-by counsel, Oliveros will represent Naso if Naso’s right to represent himself is rescinded, Slote said.

http://www.marinscope.com/novato_adv...a4bcf887a.html