Man to be extradited in 1978 murder of Laguna architect

A man charged in the 1978 murder of a Laguna Beach architect is being extradited from Connecticut to California for an arraignment next week.

Walter Lawrence Dalie, 52, has already been serving a 50-year sentence in a Connecticut state prison for the separate murder of his girlfriend in 1985.

On Nov. 20, 1978, Dalie is accused of entering the home of architect Brent Tobey, 55, with the intent to rob him. Dalie, then 19, allegedly stabbed Tobey in the back and head 17 times with a knife.

Tobey’s body was found by his roommate. The Laguna Beach Police Department initially investigated the case, but it went cold.

In 2002, Laguna police sent evidence to be analyzed at the Orange County Crime Laboratory. DNA that was found on items from the crime scene — and entered into local, state and national databases — eventually linked Dalie to Tobey’s murder in August 2010.

Dalie is expected to arrive in Orange County on Monday. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.