It took three years, but investigators put together what they believed was the best case they could against Dana Ewell. It appeared that Dana had broken a few golden rules of murder.
The most important: don't get anyone else involved.
In fact, Dana broke this rule three times: his Santa Clara classmate, Joel Radovcich, was the point man; Joel, in turn, brought on board his brother, Peter, and a friend, Jack Ponce.
The bait?
The seven million dollar inheritance Dana was supposedly going to get when the insurance companies paid him and he cashed out his family's fortune.
(Funny they call it a trust fund.)
Jack Ponce had made the silencer Joel used to murder each of Dana's immediate family members as Dana sat and sipped wine and ate with his girlfriend Monica Zent and her FBI agent father.
Peter's part was to destroy (or hide) the weapon after Joel used it.
No forensic evidence had been found at the scene because Joel, a rather punkish looking kid with a square superhero jawline, beady eyes, thin lips and short-cropped, dirty blond hair, had shaved his body and wore gloves.
How did investigators know this?
They were able to talk Jack Ponce into testifying against the others.