SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A jury trial is beginning for a former California fire battalion chief charged with murder in the death of his 26-year-old girlfriend.
Orville Fleming was arrested following a 16-day manhunt in May 2014 after Sarah June Douglas was found fatally stabbed in the south Sacramento home they had shared.
Opening statements in his trial are set to start Monday before Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Sharon Lueras. The 56-year-old Fleming has pleaded not guilty.
Fleming taught at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection training academy.
His arrest triggered a separate California Highway Patrol investigation of the academy that led to 16 CalFire employees being disciplined.
They were fired, demoted or quit for activities including cheating, drinking on duty, and sharing sexually explicit photographs.
