Lawyers for the Santa Rosa man accused of gunning down a former Sonoma County corrections officer have subpoenaed the victim's personnel records in an effort to build a defense.
Ryan Dietz, 29, is charged with the June 30 slaying of Jack Romero, 33, also of Santa Rosa, after finding Romero drinking with the mother of his children, Garicka Rush, 32, at a downtown brew pub.
Romero worked at the county jail for about six years before he resigned in 2008 during an undisclosed internal investigation, Assistant Sheriff Lorenzo Duenas said.
Dietz's lawyer, Paul Lozada, wants to dig deeper into Romero's work history to see if it is relevant to the case.
"We have it that he was terminated from the Sheriff's Office and we want to explore why," Lozada said Wednesday outside the Sonoma County court clerk's office in Santa Rosa, where he filed papers to subpoena the records.
The request is likely to be discussed at Dietz' next court hearing, set for Oct. 17 before Judge Dana Simonds. Lozada said prosecutors also are interested in reviewing the records but it was unknown if county attorneys will try to block their release.
A preliminary hearing
in the homicide case is expected Nov. 2.
Dietz, an electrician, is the father of three of Rush's children. The couple met Romero when he was their neighbor at a Santa Rosa apartment complex.
The night of the killing, Rush and Romero went to Third Street Aleworks for a drink. Romero family members said they had a platonic relationship.
Around midnight, Dietz appeared and confronted them, police have said. He is accused of following Romero outside and shooting him multiple times.
He was arrested the next day at the San Rafael company where he worked. He's pleaded not guilty.
Rush also was arrested and charged as an accessory. Police said she tried to dispose of ammunition matching the bullets used in the shooting.
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