Menlo Park Police Detective Paul Kunkel reports the jury conviction of Darnell McClendon on March 14, 2001 for a home invasion of 1322 Madera Avenue, Menlo Park. McClendon was found guilty of:

McClendon who is on parole for a previous murder conviction and has a violent criminal history will be sentenced in Superior Court on June 11, 2001 at 8:45 A.M. This is a Three Strike Conviction with a sentence range from 35 years to 160 years to life. Because of the hard work done on this case by Menlo Park Police Officers led by Detectives Paul Kunkel and Eric Cowans, as well as Deputy District Attorney Mary Allhiser, society will be free of this very dangerous person for many years.

This case began when two armed suspects dressed in police raid-type clothing forced their way into the home of 27-year-old Rosa Buenrostro at 1:49 P.M. on November 3, 1999 demanding money. Officer Paul Kunkel located a car in an adjacent driveway with the engine running and ignition punched out. The owner of the property did not know who the car belonged to. A DMV records check revealed a registered owner who was contacted in Vallejo, California. She told Officer Kunkel that Darnell McClendon was supposed to have the car and had called her to say that it had been stolen in Oakland. She also said that the car had been stolen and the ignition punched previously.

In the neighborhood search immediately following the home invasion robbery, officers found a handgun, latex gloves and police type windbreakers that had been used by the suspects. McClendon was identified by victims in a photo-lineup and all Bay Area police agencies were asked to BOLO for McClendon. Within hours of the home invasion robbery, Menlo Park P.D. was notified by Oakland P.D. that McClendon was in-custody. The victim in this case was arrested by Detective Eric Cowans for being in possession of 7 ounces of black tar heroin, which police believe was the intended target of the robbery.    ###