2014/09/11

CBS San Francisco September 8, 2014: Prosecutor, DNA Expert In 1989 San Jose Cold Case Murder Reassigned After Discovery Of Affair Between Them

A prosecutor and a DNA expert working on a 1989 cold case murder in San Jose have been reassigned after the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office learned they were having an affair, but prosecutors said Monday they do not think it will affect the case.

Deputy District Attorney Ted Kajani was removed from the district attorney’s office’s Cold Case Unit and criminalist Amanda Cardenas from investigating cold cases for the county’s criminalistics lab because they had a “physical and emotional” relationship, Assistant District Attorney David Angel said.

Kajani, who headed the Cold Case Unit, came forward to reveal the affair to District Attorney Jeff Rosen and Chief Assistant District Attorney Jay Boyarsky about two weeks ago, Angel said.

On Friday, Rosen’s office reassigned Kajani and Cardenas and appointed Deputy District Attorney Steven Dal Porto to take over the murder case the pair was working on. more