California man denies killing daughter found in freezer 2 years after her death

Calif man denies killing daughter found in freezer

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A Southern California man has admitted he kept his 21-year-old daughter’s bullet-riddled body in the freezer of his mobile home for two years but said he did not kill her.

Clarence Butterfield said during his trial Monday that he found his daughter Rebekah dead when he returned home Dec. 26, 2006. He says he put her in the freezer because he thought no one would believe his innocence and hoped she would be resurrected.

Prosecutors say the 57-year-old shot his daughter seven times to torture her before stuffing her alive into the freezer.

Her corpse was found by tow yard workers in 2008.