Cold-Case Murder Trial Set to Hear Closing Arguments in El Cajon Court

Jurors in El Cajon Superior Court are expected to hear closing arguments today (Tuesday) in the trial of a man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend's mother in La Mesa 25 years ago.

Marc Exter Jernigan, 44, was allegedly linked to the fatal stabbing of June George on Aug. 8, 1986, through DNA evidence.

Witnesses testified at an earlier hearing that George disapproved of the defendant dating her then-19-year-old daughter, Kathy Keller. The couple broke up about a month before George was stabbed 78 times, according to the testimony.

George's body was found by Keller in the kitchen of their home in the 8800 block of Mariposa Street.

At the time, Keller described Jernigan as “All-American” and “perfect” and said she could not imagine him killing her mother, said Deputy District Attorney Jill Schall.

Jernigan was arrested in February 2006 after La Mesa police reopened the case and tests matched his DNA to blood found on a bathroom towel at the crime scene, according to the prosecutor.

The defendant’s blood was also found on a bedspread, George's purse and her eyeglass case, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Jernigan, who was working as a real estate agent in Carmel Valley at the time of his arrest, faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted.

City News Service contributed to this report.