By Khalida Sarwari
The preliminary hearing for a man accused of killing his girlfriend and setting their bedroom on fire with her body inside got under way this morning in Santa Clara County Superior Court with testimony from police.
Bulos “Paul” Zumot, 36, has pleaded not guilty to murder and arson charges in connection with the death of his 29-year-old girlfriend Jennifer Schipsi on Oct. 15, 2009.
Investigators determined that Schipsi, a real estate agent, had been killed prior to the fire and that the blaze was set intentionally at the home, located at 969 Addison Ave., to conceal evidence.
The lead crime scene investigator in the case, Nanelle Newbom, was one of two witnesses prosecutor Chuck Gillingham called this morning.
Newbom said that upon removing Schipsi’s body, she noticed a strong gas-like odor emanating from the bed where the body was found. She said she also smelled gas in Schipsi’s hair and on a duvet on a couch in the living room.
Zumot’s attorney, Mark Geragos, asked why police had allowed 17 hours to elapse before they set up a decontamination area outside the house.
Anjanette Holler, a detective in the Police Department’s sexual assault unit, testified that Schipsi’s autopsy results indicate she had been strangled and that there was no smoke in her lungs.
She discussed her conversations with Schipsi’s best friend and the timeline of Zumot’s final interaction with Schipsi via text message and phone calls a day before her death.
Zumot was denied bail in June and remains in custody. He faces a maximum sentence of 33 years to life if convicted.