The husband of a woman who was unidentified for nearly two decades after her legs were discovered inside a trash bin in Rancho San Diego in 2003 was sentenced Friday to 15 years to life in prison.
Jack Dennis Potter, 72, pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder for killing Laurie Diane Potter, a 54-year-old woman whose remains were found Oct. 5, 2003, in a trash bin in the 1600 block of Hilton Head Court. Prior to moving to Temecula, Laurie Potter had lived in an apartment complex in Rancho San Diego, according to prosecutors.
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SIGN UP “This was a brutal, calculated murder that shattered the lives of Laurie’s loved ones, who then had to endure nearly 20 years of unanswered questions and unimaginable grief,” County DA Summer Stephan was quoted, in part, as saying in a news release issued after the sentencing.
The criminal complaint charging Potter indicated that authorities believe Laurie was killed on either Oct. 4 or Oct. 5, 2003, but did not specify how she died. Prosecutors later revealed that Jack had smothered her to death.
Prosecutors said in the news release issued Friday that during grand jury hearing in which Potter was indicted the panel "heard how Potter became obsessed in 2003 with a woman he met at a strip club — who shared the same first name as his wife. Within weeks of Laurie’s legs being discovered, Potter opened multiple credit accounts and made extravagant purchases, including a new pickup truck, a Hummer SUV and a ski boat. He gifted the Hummer and boat to his new girlfriend, rented her an apartment in Corona Hills, and provided her with a credit card carrying a $30,000 limit."
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During the following year, Potter took out additional credit cards in Laurie's name and filed document in Family court claiming he was in touch with was still in touch with his wife, despite her murder years prior.
Solving the Case
It wasn't until December 2020 that Laurie's remains could be identified, using a process called investigative genetic genealogy that inputs a DNA sample into public genetic databases in order to find relatives. Investigators then construct a family tree from matches that, they hope, can lead them to identifying either a victim or suspect.
It's the same method used by detectives to identify the Golden State Killer.
SDSO said at the time of the arrest that it was the first time a law enforcement agency in San Diego County was able to use investigative genetic genealogy to solve a cold case and make an arrest. The method has been used to close prior cold cases, but in those instances, the suspect was dead at the time it was solved.
In Laurie Potter's case, the technique led investigators to her adult son in December 2020, and with his genetic testing, detectives confirmed the deceased woman was Laurie Potter.
Then, it was time to relaunch the hunt for a suspect.
SDSO Homicide Lt. Thomas Seiver said in 2021 that “the investigation revealed substantial and conclusive evidence that Jack had murdered Laurie.”
Potter was arrested at his apartment in Rancho Cucamonga, according to San Diego County Sheriff's Lt. Thomas Seiver.
Investigators said that no one reported Laurie Potter missing. Her family assumed she was alive but living elsewhere. The only person who knew she was dead — according to investigators — was her husband.
"This case is a stark reminder that the pursuit of justice never stops,” Stephan was also quoted as saying in Friday's news release. “And neither does the grief of those who lose someone to violence. Today, we honor Laurie’s memory and stand with her family in their long-awaited moment of justice.”
