Slain Garden Grove Man’s Blood Found in Car of Son’s Pal

Blood from a Garden Grove man who was slain with his wife at their home six weeks ago was discovered in a silver car belonging to a friend of the dead couple’s son, according to DNA tests released Wednesday by police.

Detectives said the new evidence ties the 1986 Toyota Corolla to the scene of the bloody murders and raises new questions about the role of four teenagers who spent the night of the killings with Joe Najera, who discovered his parents’ bodies early the next morning.

Prosecutors last month filed murder charges against one of the boys, Gerald Johnson. Police said they believe Johnson, 19, and a second assailant drove the car from the Merrill Street home of Jose and Elena Najera after killing them.

None of the other teens has been named a suspect.

The friends--Najera, Johnson, Vincent Torres and Brian Smith--told detectives they spent the night of Dec. 28 drinking alcohol, playing video games and watching movies at Johnson’s Villa Park home until late.

Around 3 a.m., a next-door neighbor noticed a gray car pull into the Najeras’ driveway. The neighbor, concerned at how late it was, called the younger Najera’s cell phone. Najera told the neighbor the car belonged to a friend of his father’s.

Phone records confirmed Najera was in Villa Park when he answered, proving he could not have been home during his parents’ death, Garden Grove Police Sgt. Mike Handfield said.

Armed with the new DNA results, detectives now believe the car the neighbor saw belonged to Smith, 19.