Unsolved Jesus Ibarra case: Joseph Anthony Abeyta of Santa Clara charged with murder in San Jose in 1987

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — A Santa Clara man has been charged with the murder of a person he may have known – nearly 40 years after the crime.

Joseph Anthony Abeyta faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of killing Jesus Ibarra of San Jose.

“That's one of the challenges of an unsolved case, but we're glad and eager to overcome those challenges and get justice for the victim's family,” said Santa Clara Assistant District Attorney Michael Gilman. “They were here in court today and they just want justice.”

37 years have passed since Ibarra’s death.

The police were unable to identify a suspect at that time.

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But DNA evidence tested this year linked Santa Clara resident Joseph Anthony Abeyta to the crime.

Abeyta is already in prison for weapons possession and identity theft, but he is now charged with murder and faces 25 years to life in prison.

“His DNA was collected as part of his arrest in that existing case,” Gilman said. “We had the CODIS hit, CODIS is the database for the DNA, then we went ahead and did a confirmation to confirm his DNA that we collected at his arrest in his other case and confirmed there was a match.”

The investigation into Ibarra's death began in April 1987 on Nordale Avenue in San Jose.

San Jose police said he was strangled with an electrical cord in his apartment.

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Evidence obtained by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office suggests that the two men knew each other.

Ibarra's car was found the day before his death – burned out from the inside in Peach Court, just 3 miles from Ibarra's home.

That's less than a block from where Abeyta lived a month after the murder, according to county records.

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Abeyta's newly tested DNA matched DNA found on several items, including the electrical cord and the blanket under which the victim lay.

“Using technology from a crime lab at the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, we were able to locate DNA as evidence that the suspect was there and present in the residence and was responsible for the murder,” said Stacie Shih, San Jose Police Department spokeswoman.

This is the third unsolved homicide charge filed by the District Attorney's Office and the ninth case solved by the SJPD in 2024.

Abeyta refused to appear in court on Friday. His next appearance is scheduled for September 24.