Lemon Grove Murder Suspect Due in Court Wednesday

A man accused of ambushing a 30-year-old Lemon Grove woman and gunning her down in the street is due in court Wednesday morning for a readiness conference.

Casey Tschida, 33,  is suspected in the Jan. 3 fatal shooting of Jennifer Krajnak, who was killed as she walked home from a local bar where the two had spent the evening.  

Deputy District Attorney Gordon Paul Davis said the defendant and the victim were together for about three hours at Dirk's Niteclub on Broadway beginning around 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 2.

The prosecutor alleges Tschida left the bar about 1:30 a.m., returned 15 minutes later with his car's headlights off and shot Krajnak in the head as she crossed the street toward her nearby apartment.

Tschida fled to Oregon after the shooting, taking his dog and loading his truck with rifles, clothing and camping equipment. He was arrested Jan. 6 in Happy Valley, OR, where his mother lives.  A 9 mm handgun believed to have been used in the murder was recovered in Oregon after Tschida allegedly threw it out of his vehicle, Davis said.

The defendant was ordered May 28 to stand trial for murder. He faces 50 years to life in prison if convicted. He is being held on $5 million bail.