Daniel Gunnarsson: California man found guilty of murdering girlfriend with 24-inch ice ax and mutilating corpse
BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA: Daniel Gunnarsson, a 23-year-old Ridgecrest man, has been found guilty of fatally stabbing his girlfriend multiple times with a 24-inch ice ax.
On Wednesday, August 30, Jurors in Kern County convicted Gunnarsson of first-degree murder and mutilating the corpse of 21-year-old Katie Pham in May 2021.
Gunnarsson's sentence hearing has been scheduled for October 25. He faces up to 29 years to life in prison.
Why did Daniel Gunnarsson kill Katie Pham?
Deputy District Attorney Samantha Allen previously told the court that Gunnarsson stabbed Pham's head more than nine times because he was jealous, according to The Bakersfield Californian.
She also noted that on the morning of Pham’s murder, Gunnarsson called her to apologize and asked to pick her
up. After she agreed to his requests, he picked her up from her apartment and took her back to his stepfather’s residence in Kern County.
There, Gunnarsson led her to the RV garage, and shortly after “painters at the residence heard a female screaming, followed by shuffling of items,” authorities stated.
After examining the scene, investigators found that Gunnarsson used a 24-inch ice ax to hit Pham 10 times in the head, neck, and face. He then took off some of her clothes and touched her corpse “in a sexual manner.”
Pham’s body was allegedly discovered by the painters, who found Gunnarsson covered in blood after they opened the garage to continue their work.
His pants were “saturated” with blood, which covered his hands and neck, authorities said in a KGET report.
They also stated that Gunnarsson acted oddly while speaking to detectives but they believe he was just “putting on an act.”
However, Deputy Public Defender Lexi Blythe refuted the prosecutor’s claims, telling jurors that her client did not kill Pham.
She also suggested that the gloves found at the scene may have been used by a medical professional to treat Pham.
Her client’s DNA also did not turn up on the handle of the ax, a paint roller or other items from the scene.
Talking about the blood on Gunnarsson’s clothes, the public defender indicated that he may have entered the garage after hearing Pham's screams.
Allen rubbished the notion, stating, “He’s in there still doing things when he’s caught.” The prosecutor reportedly told jurors that she did not have to prove Gunnarsson was in his right state of mind at the time of Pham’s murder.
Instead, she had to prove that he had willful, premeditated intent to kill Pham. She also said that there was no evidence to prove Pham provoked Gunnarsson.
What was Daniel Gunnarsson’s behaviour towards Katie Pham?
As per Law&Crime, Pham’s friends previously revealed that Gunnarsson displayed hostile behavior toward the victim amid their brief relationship.
According to one of the friends, Gunnarsson once picked Pham up from Las Vegas a few days before the death and drove recklessly at high speeds because she was on the phone and not paying attention to him.
This friend also alleged overhearing Gunnarsson insult Pham over the phone when she did not want to go to his home.
“Gunnarsson had been in a dating relationship with the victim, Katie Pham, for the month preceding the murder,” prosecutors said.
They added, “The evening before the murder, Gunnarsson displayed animosity towards Pham and expressed what his friends believed to be suicidal behavior."