Joseph Naso Sentenced to Death: ABC7 I-Team Report from Marin County, November 2013

Name: Joseph Naso Sentenced to Death: ABC7 I-Team Report from Marin County, November 2013
Uploaded: 2013-12-03T00:00:00Z
Duration: 3 min 4 s
Description: ABC7 I-Team reporter Dan Noyes on the day Joseph Naso was sentenced to death in Marin County in November 2013, with the son of Roxene Roggasch and a daughter of Carmen Colon.

ABC7 I-Team reporter Dan Noyes on the day Joseph Naso was sentenced to death in Marin County in November 2013, with the son of Roxene Roggasch and a daughter of Carmen Colon.

Subject: Joseph Naso
Recorded: about November 22, 2013
Runtime: 3:04

Content warning: Refers to a "rape diary" and to mannequins dressed in lingerie found at Naso's home; concerns the murders of women.

The Interview

This is not an interview with Joseph Naso, and his voice is not heard. It is a report by Dan Noyes of the KGO-TV ABC7 News I-Team in San Francisco from Friday, November 22, 2013, the day a Marin County judge sentenced Naso to death. Noyes describes the hearing and interviews two adult children of murdered women: Shane Ashby, the son of Roxene Roggasch, and Rachel Smith, a daughter of Carmen Colon. The video was posted on YouTube in December 2013 by a third-party channel.

Historical Context

Joseph Naso, a photographer born in Rochester, New York, in 1934, was living in Reno, Nevada, when a 2010 probation search of his home turned up the evidence that led to his arrest in April 2011. A Marin County jury convicted him on August 20, 2013, of the murders of four women killed between 1977 and 1994: Roxene Roggasch, Carmen Colon, Pamela Parsons and Tracy Tafoya. The jury recommended the death penalty. Naso represented himself throughout.

Circumstances of the Recording

Judge Andrew Sweet pronounced sentence in Marin County Superior Court in San Rafael. Former jurors, victims' relatives and reporters who had followed the case were in the courtroom. The description of the upload notes that Naso had been contacting the I-Team about his case for years.

What the Interview Covers

According to Noyes: - Naso still claimed he had not killed anyone and showed no reaction to the sentence; - before the hearing he made obscene gestures at the audience several times; - given a last chance to speak, he complained only about having to pay restitution to the victims' families, and said he should get restitution for being charged; - Judge Sweet called him evil, one of the people "who make us lock our doors at night"; - the judge imposed death sentences for Carmen Colon, Pamela Parsons and Tracy Tafoya, and said the killings of Roxene Roggasch, Sharileea Patton and Sara Dylan also played a role. Shane Ashby explains why he told Naso he hoped he would live to be 110. Rachel Smith, who had asked for a life sentence while her sister wanted death, says she accepts the sentence if it helps her sister. Noyes also recalls the evidence found at Naso's Reno home, and says that a restitution hearing would follow and that prosecutors put his assets at more than a million dollars.

What Makes the Recording Significant

The report records the end of the trial phase of the case and gives voice to the families of two of the four women, including the disagreement within one family over the death penalty.

Anchor: Serial killer Joe Naso did not go quietly today, by any means, when a Marin County judge sent him to death row. Naso committed murders in four counties from the late '70s to the early '90s, and Dan Noyes has been covering this case from the very start, and he's back now from San Rafael with the latest on this wild scene in court.

Dan Noyes: It really was, [unclear: "with"] Dan and Carolyn. Joe Naso continues to claim he didn't kill anyone, and he had no reaction to the death sentence he received today. Didn't seem to come as a shock to him. He was concerned about just two things: having his picture taken in a striped jail outfit instead of a suit, and the money he'll have to pay to the victims' families. Even before the hearing began, 79-year-old serial killer Joe Naso several times flipped off the audience of former jurors, victims' family members and reporters who had covered the case from the start. And when the judge gave him one last chance to speak before receiving the death sentence, Naso only complained about having to pay his victims' families. He said he should get restitution for being charged.

Unidentified Speaker: He had absolutely no remorse for what he did, and the judge did an excellent job in summarizing just who he is.

Dan Noyes: Judge Andrew Sweet called Naso evil, one of those people who make us worry about our kids walking to school, who make us lock our doors at night. He gave Naso death sentences for each of three victims: Carmen Colon in Contra Costa County, Pam Parsons and Tracy Tafoya in Yuba County. The judge also said the murders of Roxene Roggasch and Sharileea Patton in Marin and Sara Dylan in Nevada County by Naso played a role in his decision. Several of the victims' children spoke in court. Shane Ashby is Roxene Roggasch's son. [unclear: "You said" / "He said"] to Naso, "I hope that you live to be 110." Why did you say that?

Shane Ashby: Well, I kind of like him to sit there and suffer just as long as the families suffered without having any closure.

Dan Noyes: The case broke open three years ago with the probation search of Naso's Reno home. Along with guns, officers found this bizarre collection of mannequins, to which Naso applied makeup and dressed in lingerie. They also found what prosecutors called a rape diary, and the list of 10, the places where he apparently dumped his victims. Carmen Colon's daughters disagreed at the hearing today. One wanted the death penalty. The other, Rachel Smith, asked the judge to give Naso life in prison. [unclear: "But as he was giving the death penalty, the judge was giving the death penalty"], you were nodding. So explain your feelings to me.

Rachel Smith: If it makes my sister feel better and come to terms with what's happened, then go ahead and do that. That's going to make her better.

Dan Noyes: But it was a very emotional time for you.

Dan Noyes: Naso will be transferred to San Quentin within the next 10 days under court order, where he'll stay until his automatic appeal is heard. That could be a long time. The victims' families now have to tell the court what out-of-pocket expenses they've incurred because of the murders, and there will be another hearing to set the amount Naso will have to pay. Prosecutors said he had more than a million dollars in assets at the time of his arrest.

Anchor: So, a bizarre ending to a long [unclear: "holiday" / possibly "ordeal"]. ---