Despite a nationwide pandemic, a New York man discovered the coronavirus outbreak did not stop his extradition to San Diego to face a murder charge in the death of a gay man killed 45 years ago.
Dennis James Lepage, now 63, was extradited recently for the Dec. 31, 1975, slaying of Alvaro Marquez Espeleta, 28. Lepage was first arrested Jan. 24, 2020, in Troy, New York and extradition proceedings lasted less than five months.
Advances in DNA and fingerprint analysis were credited for Lepage’s arrest. Lepage’s DNA was found on a bloody towel in Espeleta’s apartment in the 3200 block of Reynard Way. His palm print was found on the sink and bathroom door, according to an arrest warrant declaration.
Lepage, appearing on a video screen from jail, pleaded not guilty before San Diego Superior Court Judge Peter Deddeh. The prosecutor and defense attorney also appeared remotely on screens because the courthouse is mostly closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Audio at the arraignment was livestreamed on a YouTube channel on the Superior Court’s website, which showed that 21 listeners had logged in to hear it. Some of the listeners could have been Lepage’s family, as two of his grandchildren appeared in a New York courtroom audience after his arrest, according to The Union Journal, a New York newspaper which published a photo of him leaning on a cane.
No argument was made for bail, so Deddeh ruled “bail remains set at no bail.” Lepage’s attorney waived his right to have a bail review for now.
Espeleta, whose nude body was found on his bed, was a Navy dental technician. Lepage, who was also in the Navy, was 18 years old at the time. He enlisted at age 17, according to court documents.
Espeleta was strangled and suffered blunt force trauma. He was not a smoker, but cigarette butts were found in his apartment and preserved as evidence along with other items, according to court records.
Fingerprints on a beer bottle were also preserved. The prints were analyzed many times, but no matches were found until the Naval Criminal Investigative Service again looked at the case in 2019. Lepage was arrested in 2010 for domestic violence in Massachusetts, and his prints were taken then for the first time.
Lepage remains in the George Bailey Detention Facility.
