Woman Cleared of Refusing to Testify

A 22-year-old La Habra woman convicted of murdering her mother was found not guilty Friday of refusing to testify against her boyfriend, also convicted in the murder.

Dominique Navarro, who was 16 when her mother was beaten and strangled to death at their home on April 24, 1983, is now serving her sentence at the California Youth Authority.

Because she was under 17, she could not be sent to state prison. The Youth Authority must release her when she turns 25. If she had been convicted of the additional charges, she could have been kept in custody until she was 28.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard M. King filed the charges against her a year ago after she refused to even take the oath at the trial of her boyfriend, William Noguera, 22.

Noguera nevertheless was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. He is now the youngest Orange County man on Death Row at California State Prison at San Quentin.

Evidence at their separate trials showed that her mother, Jovita V. Navarro, 42, had been strangled and beaten more than 20 times with a heavy object. Prosecutors claim that the murder weapon was Noguera’s martial arts baton.

Evidence showed that the two had discussed the woman’s murder with a third party. They had hoped to be awarded her $25,000 insurance policy.

Superior Court Judge James K. Turner Friday ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Navarro’s motive in refusing to testify was to prevent Noguera from being prosecuted.