David Misch

David Emery Misch (born February 19, 1961) is an American serial killer and rapist who was convicted of killing three women in northern California from 1986 to 1989. He is also, , awaiting trial for the murder of Michaela Garecht, a 9-year-old girl whose 1988 disappearance achieved notoriety in the San Francisco Bay Area and sparked a decades-long search before Misch was linked to the crime in 2020.

Early life David Emery Misch was born on February 19, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois, but in the mid-1960s, his family moved to Santa Clara, California, where he spent his youth and teenage years. Misch's father, Robert, was an alcoholic who was aggressive towards his wife and son. As a result of the constant physical assaults, David lost all interest in the educational process some time in the mid-1970s. In later interviews, he said that he blamed his mother for not stopping the abuse.

As he often clashed with his parents, Misch spent most of his time on the streets and began engaging in criminal activities at the age of 16.

Criminal history Violent crimes In 1977, the 16-year-old Misch entered a neighbor's house and raped a housecleaner at knifepoint. After the sexual assault, he attempted to strangle her, but she kicked him in the stomach and convinced him to spare her.

In June 1982, Misch was putting up real estate signs on utility poles on Broadway Terrace in Oakland Hills when he noticed 18-year-old Swiss student Betina Benthaus, who had come to the United States on a student exchange program. In November 1987, his girlfriend gave birth to a son named David Michael Misch, who died at the age of 3 months in February 1988.

Murder of Margaret Ball After serving seven months in prison, Misch was granted parole and released on November 17, 1989. On December 8, he was arrested for the murder of 36-year-old Margaret Narcisa Ball, who was found beaten and stabbed to death in her home on Lowell Avenue, unincorporated Hayward, the day prior.

The investigators immediately focused their efforts on locating Ball's car, a 1981 silver-colored Mazda, which they eventually found near the Farm House Motel on MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland, driven by David Misch. While Misch himself denied responsibility, his father would later testify that on the day of the murder, David came home and confessed to killing Ball in a methamphetamine-induced robbery.

Link to previous crimes Michelle Xavier and Jennifer Duey In 2003, a blood sample was taken from Misch for DNA testing, which revealed that his genotypic profile matched that of a man whose epithelial particles were found under the fingernails of 20-year-old Jennifer Duey. Her best friend, who was with her at the time, testified that the two girls had just come out of the store when they noticed that Garecht's scooter was missing. They proceeded to search for it and eventually found it in the far corner of the store's parking lot. Garecht then attempted to retrieve it but was then abducted by a white male with long hair in his early 30s who drove up to her in a gold or brown Oldsmobile with no hubcaps and pulled her inside. According to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, on the day of Garecht's abduction, Misch was at the nearby Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery, visiting the gravestone of his young son on what would have been his first birthday. The cemetery was located across the street from the market, giving him ample opportunity to abduct the girl.

2024 trial Misch's trial for the murders of Xavier and Duey began on October 21, 2024, and lasted for two months. The Alameda County Prosecutor's Office insisted on consolidating the two murder cases into one trial because all three murder charges against the defendant were similar in motive and execution, but Misch's lawyers objected, arguing that it was mostly circumstantial evidence or speculation. He was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder on December 19, 2024.