A jury has been selected and sworn in a high-profile murder trial. A diverse group of 12 men and women will decide the fate of a man accused of killing a woman inside her condo in Rancho Peñasquitos.
The death of Connie Dadkhah ignited scrutiny of the San Diego Police Department’s delayed emergency response the night prosecutors say the suspected killer smashed his way into her home. Connie’s family also has questions and anger over the department’s decision not to force entry into her condo after they arrived at the scene.
In addition to murder, Parrish Chambers Jr., faces three other charges for violent incidents prosecutors say happened months before Connie was found dead inside her condo. He’s pleaded not guilty.
Defense and prosecutor strike jurors from the case
Over the course of a couple hours Tuesday, attorneys on both sides used their challenges to remove eight jurors. Legally, each side is allowed to remove 20 from the pool. They didn’t have to state any reason why.
In addition, the court removed nine other jurors for cause after several of those individuals stated they would have problems being impartial based on the summary description of the murder case.
Nine of the twelve jurors are women. Eight of the jurors appear to be white. There are also three alternate jurors who will observe each day of the trial, but won’t get an opportunity to participate in deliberations unless another juror can’t complete their service.
A death in Rancho Peñasquitos and the police scrutiny that followed
Opening statements could begin on Friday or on Monday, July 22. When it does, jurors will hear testimony about the death of Connie Dadkhah. On the morning of June 15, 2022, prosecutors say Parrish Chambers emerged from Connie’s condo, spattered with her blood. They say he flagged down a neighbor to call 911 to report that she was dead inside. He was taken into custody soon after and charged with her murder.
But it’s what happened the night before that has her family, friends, and neighbors questioning whether her death could have been prevented.
Police dispatch records show around 7 p.m. on June 14, 2022, Connie’s neighbors began calling 911. They begged police to get there quickly, reporting that a belligerent man was trying to break into a woman’s condo. Initially, the call wasn’t prioritized. About an hour later, callers had new information to tell dispatchers; that man had scaled a wall to her second-floor balcony and smashed his way inside through a sliding glass door. While police upgraded the call to a higher priority, it took another 45 minutes for officers to arrive at the complex.
Those same dispatch records, along with court filings from prosecutors, reveal what happened next. Officers tried to make contact with Connie by calling her phone, knocking on her door, and using a loudspeaker. But officers left the scene 15 minutes later after failing to make contact with anyone inside. There’s no record of Connie calling police that night.
In defending their decision not to force entry the night before, police told NBC 7 Investigates they had reason to believe that Chambers lived there. That was based on a dispatch record accessed by responding officers. Police also told us the decision to force entry into anyone’s home shouldn’t be taken lightly and is among the highest level of legal standards they operate under.
But Chambers didn’t live there, though our investigation revealed a lengthy history between the two. Court filings show that included an incident in 2020 where Chambers was convicted of vandalism. The judge ordered Chambers to stay away from Connie.
In addition to the murder charge, prosecutors also charged Chambers with three other crimes where they say Connie was his victim. That includes two counts of battery and one count of false imprisonment. He’s pleaded not guilty to those counts as well.
The exact nature of their relationship isn’t clear, but Connie’s friends say she met Chambers through her volunteer work with mental health outreach. They say he became smitten with her, tracked down her address, and constantly visited despite repeated requests that Chambers leave her alone.
Court records indicate that Chambers’ public defender Abe Genser intends to paint a different narrative during the trial. One that alleges the two had a tumultuous sexual relationship that included drug use.
Criminal case could impact the federal civil suit against police
Civil litigator Tim Scott is going to be paying very close attention to the trial. His firm represents Dadkhah’s family in a federal lawsuit against the San Diego Police Department.
“We’re going to continue to fight for Connie and for her family,” Scott told us.
That fight hit a roadblock last month, when a federal judge dismissed the civil case with leave to amend. The judge essentially ruled that under the law, officers are not on the hook for what they don’t do.
“I think most folks would be surprised to learn that there is not a general duty, as far as the law is concerned, for the police to protect the public,” Scott said.
While Scott acknowledges officers are not legally obligated to do more, he told us Connie’s case is different. He believes officers may be responsible for something called state-created danger, arguing officers left Connie in a worse position than she was in before. Now Scott hopes the murder trial against her accused killer will reveal new information about the police response that he can use to re-file the family’s lawsuit. The family has until August to amend the suit and refile.
“This case is bigger than that though I think because it really puts a spotlight on community safety and community justice,” Scott said. And on whether there is or ought to be a duty to act on the part of police.”
