Redondo Beach man ordered held in bartender's death
By Mike Cruz
Posted: 01/28/2010 04:12:47 PM PST
A Redondo Beach man accused of killing and dumping the body of a popular Manhattan Beach bartender off Highway 330 was ordered held on murder charges Thursday.
Judge Annemarie Pace listened to witness testimony during a hearing in San Bernardino Superior Court and ruled that sufficient evidence existed to hold Tony Lopez Perez to face charges in the death of Cori Desmond.
Perez returns to court Feb. 4 to enter a formal plea on those charges, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.
Desmond, 28, of Torrance, was last seen alive Feb. 15 at the Bac Street Lounge in Redondo Beach. An ATM camera later captured her image walking from her car to a bar to use the restroom, but she was turned away.
A motorist found Desmond's body, which had been stuffed in a bag, the following day on the west side of Highway 330, on the way to Running Springs. Perez's motive was that of "a sexual nature," sheriff's detectives have said.
Authorities found physical evidence linking Desmond to a white Dodge Durango owned by Perez before he sold it to a dealership.
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