Man who killed pregnant girlfriend denied parole

Dyer strangled to death his girlfriend Nov. 18, 1991, after she decided to leave him and the two argued in the apartment they shared. After the homicide, the then 25-year-old panicked. He left her in the bed for two weeks and attempted to cover up the smell of decomposition by dousing the corpse with Carpet Fresh, Wagstaffe said.

Members of the Famero family, relatives of the victim who was in her late 20s at the time of her murder, spoke at the parole hearing, Wagstaffe said.

“I’m pleased that he will remain in prison. Because I do share the view of the victims, the Famero family, which is if he’s released, he’s a danger to our community,” Wagstaffe said.

Dyer was convicted of murder in 1992 after a three-week jury trial and sentenced in 1993 to 25 years to life in prison. On appeal, his conviction was reduced to a second degree murder charge after a court ruled the evidence didn’t support premeditation, according to prosecutors.

Wagstaffe, who was the trial prosecutor during Dyer’s case, recalled the unusual circumstances of his arrest and the victim’s murder.

Police initiated contact with Dyer on an unrelated matter as they believed he was selling marijuana outside a 7-Eleven on the corner of Third Avenue and Delaware Street. Dyer fled and led police to the apartment where he escaped out of a window but was caught outside, Wagstaffe said.

Then police officer Robert Ross, who later served as mayor of San Mateo, chased Dyer into the home but wasn’t aware the suspect had fled out the window. Instead, he saw what he believed to be Dyer underneath the bed covers. After pulling back the sheets expecting to find the man, he instead discovered the victim’s body, Wagstaffe said.

Dyer reportedly admitted he didn’t know what to do after he strangled the woman and would sit in the room talking to her each night. He also continued to sleep in the apartment, which is what led him to use carpet fresh powder to try and cover the smell, Wagstaffe said.

Former police officer Mike Callagy, now deputy county manager, arrived shortly after Ross, Wagstaffe recalled.

“Those two guys were thinking they got their dope dealer,” Wagstaffe said. “But the reality was it was our poor victim.”

Thursday was Dyer’s third parole hearing, he waived his 2012 hearing.