The Mark Achilli homicide in March has garnered plenty of headlines with its lurid, pulp fiction details. But what doesn't get any press is how teamwork between the Los Gatos PD and SCPD unraveled the steamy – and seamy -- case as smoothly as legendary hard-boiled detective Mike Hammer negotiating a buxom cutie's brassiere.

 

The former owner of Mountain Charley's and 180 Restaurant & Lounge (both in Los Gatos) 53 year-old Achilli was murdered gangland-style in front of his home on March 14. Five men have been arrested on suspicion of murder and conspiracy in the murder-for-hire case, including Esequiel "Paul" Garcia of San Jose who bought the restaurants from Achilli last fall.

 

Prosecutors are closed-lipped about possible motives, but some speculate that Garcia was jealous over 29 year-old bar manager Tessa Donnelly, who was seeing both Achilli and Garcia. 

 

The murder was Los Gatos first homicide in five years and the quiet mountain town needed additional resources to investigate the high profile crime.

 

"The lead detective, Sgt. Mark Frisbee had worked with Santa Clara police department in the past," explains Santa Clara Police Chief Steve Lodge. "Chief Scott Seaman asked if he could borrow a couple of our detectives to help out." At different times, about 10 Santa Clara officers helped in the investigation and in apprehending the suspects.

 

Solving the mystery was a matter of "good old-fashioned police work," according to Lodge, "and using technology to follow up on physical evidence [computer printouts] found at the scene."

 

The fast, successful investigation also owed a lot to the close relationship between the two police departments, Lodge says.

 

"How ironic that two months later we're using Los Gatos' help to solve our own homicide, the Karaoke homicide." That suspect, Huy Le, was apprehended in Taiwan as he waited to board a flight to Vietnam.

 

Carolyn Schuk can be reached at cschuk@earthlink.net.