No plea bargain for burglars of Maloney home

The couple accused of ransacking the home of the Maloney family, whose four members had perished in a car accident just three nights prior, will appear in Sonoma County court Thursday.

Amber Marie True, 29, and Michael Guiterrez, 26, both of San Mateo, are charged with residential burglary, auto theft, vandalism and possession of a stolen car. Their request Monday to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence was refused by Judge Arthur Wick.

The plea bargain was opposed by Sonoma County District Attorney Stephen Passaquala. “We are going to proceed,” he told The Sun.

The preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 25 will determine if there is sufficient evidence to move forward to a jury trial.

The December 1 break-in came three nights after John and Susan Maloney and their two children were killed in a collision on Highway 37. Bypassing a shrine of flowers and pictures in front of the empty Sonoma home, the thieves forced their way into the garage from a side door. Once inside, police say they tore through each room before making a getaway in a family car parked in the driveway.

True was found with a credit card belonging to Susan Maloney during a routine traffic stop in San Mateo on December 3. Following her arrest, authorities located her boyfriend, Guiterrez, who was driving the stolen vehicle.

In court Monday, defense attorneys maintained that True and Guiterrez were unaware of the Maloney’s fate and had chosen the house at random. The fact that they cooperated with police in returning all stolen items was also given as a reason to lighten the sentence.

Prosecutor Mike Li said the defendant’s criminal histories, and the unseemly, destructive nature of the burglary, did not warrant any plea deal.

True and Guiterrez remain free on bail.