Salinas man convicted of murder after posting Craiglist ad

After a 6-day jury trial a Salinas man has been convicted of first degree murder.

23-year-old Daniel Lorenzo Petty was found guilty of the crime of torture with a gun and vehicle theft.

On December 12, 2015 the body of a 52-year-old man was found off a trail about a quarter-mile from the end of Dunes Drive. The victim had been shot, stabbed, severely beaten and burned.

The Marina Police Department, and Monterey County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and began investigating the cause of death. The victim’s truck was found in Chualar the same day by the California Highway Patrol. An autopsy revealed the victim suffered all his injuries, with the exception of the burns, while alive.

A Detective with Marina PD conducted a search of the victim’s phone and email records. Detective Oliver Minnig discovered that on December 10, 2015, the victim responded to a Craigslist ad via email for “man seeking man” posted by Petty. Investigators said the victim and Petty met about three times before agreeing to meet at the Lucky’s store in Marina that day. Petty’s last email said he was on his way from his girlfriend’s residence which is blocks away from the Lucky’s.

The D.A.’s office said surveillance showed the victim’s truck arriving at 11:30 a.m. The victim’s phone was silent until 1:30 p.m.

Petty was arrested on December 21, 2015. Investigators said Petty claimed he had met the victim for sex on December 10, 2015 and then parted ways. During the interview he admitted to killing the victim because he wanted to see what it felt like to kill a person. It took 30 minutes for the victim to die during the course of his assault where he shot, stabbed, clubbed with a firearm and taunted the victim.

A sentencing hearing is set for August 29. Petty faces life without parole.