Man Sentenced for Domestic Violence Killing of Girlfriend in Her Beverly Hills Apartment

Washington, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — A 59-year-old man was sentenced yesterday to 26 years to life in state prison for slashing his girlfriend’s throat at her Beverly Hills apartment in 2011, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced today.

James Duane Grzeslo of Los Angeles was found guilty on Aug. 10 of one count of first-degree murder and jurors found true allegations that he used a knife as a deadly weapon.

Deputy District Attorneys Keri Modder and Oksana Sigal prosecuted case SA079092.

Grzeslo killed his girlfriend, Cathy Ann Carrasco-Zanini, 58, on Oct. 26, 2011, prosecutors said. According to the evidence presented at the trial, the victim wrote the defendant’s name with her blood before succumbing to her injuries.

The defendant had been possessive and jealous of the victim’s friendships prior to her death, prosecutors added. Witnesses testified that Grzeslo would tell people that as a Marine he would turn people into ‘Pez dispensers’ by slashing their throat.

The Beverly Hills Police Department investigated the case.

Contact:
Ricardo Santiago, Public Information Officer
(213) 257-2000
RSantiago (at) da.lacounty (dot) gov