After nearly two decades, Jack Potter of San Diego has been sentenced to 15 years to life for the 2003 murder and dismemberment of his wife, Laurie Diane Potter, District Attorney Summer Stephan said.
Potter was sentenced May 2.
The case was solved in 2021 through Investigative Genetic Genealogy. In 2003, a maintenance worker discovered severed human legs in a dumpster at a Rancho San Diego apartment complex. Despite efforts, the victim remained unidentified until 2020, when DNA confirmed the remains belonged to Laurie, 54, of Temecula.
Stephan credited the Cold Case Homicide Unit and Deputy District Attorneys Julie Lynn and Mark Amador for their persistence in solving the case.
Potter, now 72, admitted in February to smothering his wife. Investigators said he was obsessed with a woman he met at a strip club, who happened to share his wife’s first name. After the murder, he lived lavishly, selling their home and using Laurie’s identity for financial gain.
“This case is a stark reminder that the pursuit of justice never stops,” Stephan said.
