Man rapes and beats 67 year old woman to death
Man gets life in 1991 killing
Merino-Apolinar entered the U.S. illegally three times and was convicted of criminal harassment, first-degree sex abuse and dealing cocaine before he was arrested in 2005 for aggravated murder in Unruh's death.
He won't have chance for parole; judge refers to his criminal history
RUTH LIAO
Statesman Journal
September 18, 2007
A man will serve a life sentence without parole for beating to death a 67-year-old Salem woman in 1991, a Marion County judge ruled Monday.
A jury found Bonafacio Merino-Apolinar, 37, guilty of beating, asphyxiating and raping Janet Unruh.
Unruh had caught Merino-Apolinar stealing from her home in a group care center at Labish Village on Dover Avenue NE before she was found dead Aug. 25, 1991.
In court, Marion County Circuit Judge Dennis Graves condemned Merino-Apolinar's long criminal history and repeated offenses.
"The overwhelming evidence in this case screams that you have no regard for the law," Graves said.
"You have never taken responsibility for your criminal conduct until today, and instead have blamed others or denied you were responsible, as you did in this case," Graves said.
After Unruh's death, Merino-Apolinar returned to Mexico, but came back to Oregon illegally and was convicted of criminal harassment in 1992, Graves said.
Testimony during that conviction showed Merino-Apolinar physically abused his wife, refused to allow her to leave their home and didn't give her any money to help raise their three children, Graves said.
In 1995, Merino-Apolinar was convicted of sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl. He was ordered to complete sex offender treatment but failed to comply with court orders and was arrested in January 1997 for failing to appear in court.
In March 1997, Merino-Apolinar was convicted of delivering cocaine and served 28 months in prison.
Merino-Apolinar was deported in 2000, but returned again illegally under the name Juan Valentin Rivera using false identification cards in Oregon, California and Alaska.
Oregon State Police investigator Karen Hays, who worked in the crime lab, reviewed cold case files before she retired in 2000 and linked Merino-Apolinar to the killing using improved DNA analysis.
Merino-Apolinar was arrested on five counts of aggravated murder in 2005 in Monterey County, Calif.
"It's a long time coming," said Unruh's daughter Barbara Loucks, who lives in Medford. "I'm glad it's over -- it'll never be over, but at least he's been caught. He's not out on the streets any more."
Prosecutor Bryan Orrio read a formal statement written by Loucks during sentencing, which described Unruh as a woman who loved her children, but never lived to see her grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Unruh learned to ride horses at an early age with her father, before she learned how to walk, and met her husband while riding, Orrio said.
The murder trial began Aug. 20 and at first required two interpreters -- one to interpret a Mexican dialect known as Trique to Spanish, and one to translate Spanish to English.
But as the trial progressed, Merino-Apolinar indicated he could understand Spanish and English.
On Monday, Merino-Apolinar read from a crinkled yellow paper to the court.
"It's not easy to bear a burden for 16 years. I've always had it on my mind and could never forget," Merino-Apolinar said.
Merino-Apolinar first came to Oregon illegally in 1989. He said he had relatives in Brooks and worked in strawberry fields.
On the night of the killing, Merino-Apolinar said, he was drunk and stupid and never thought he'd regret his acts for the rest of his life. Merino-Apolinar also suffers from chronic renal failure and was provided medical treatment while in custody.
Merino-Apolinar asked that his children not suffer for his crimes.
"Although I'm going into the shadows, I feel free because I will be paying for my crimes," he said.
rliao@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 589-6941
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