Man pleads ‘no contest’ in murder of Dennis Day, original Mickey Mouse Club member

Disney

A man is charged with the death of Dennis Day, an original cast member in Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club television program, was sentenced to just over four years in prison.

Daniel Burda, 41, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of involuntary manslaughter and desecration of a corpse. Prosecutors said Burda caused Day’s death and then used Day’s identity to spend money.

Burda was a handyman who lived with Day in Phoenix, Oregon. The two had a falling out, and Day had tried to evict him when he disappeared in mid-2018.

A non-contender plea is an admission by the state that it can prove criminal charges in court and has the same legal effect as a guilty plea.

Day’s body was not discovered until nine months later, but was eventually found under a pile of clothes in the house. The coroner was unable to determine the cause of death because he was in poor condition.

His family has since sued the Phoenix Police Department, claiming they suffered emotional distress.

Burda’s criminal case was delayed by stays at Oregon State Hospital, where his mental competency to defend himself had to be determined, as well as other legal challenges. While out of custody, he faced several other charges, court records show.

Burda was originally taken into custody on suspicion of manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, desecration of a corpse, abuse and identity theft in connection with Day’s death. The Oregonian reported.

He was already in custody for another robbery when he was also charged with Day’s death.

The arrest comes after police arrested two Oregon women last month on suspicion of stealing several of Day’s personal items.

Wanda Garcia and Lori Declusin were charged for allegedly stealing the former actor’s white 1990s Ford Escort station wagon. Garcia was also accused of selling a brooch belonging to Day in July 2018, less than a week after he was last seen alive.

Born in 1942, Day began acting at the age of six. The former Disney star was 76 when he was first reported missing by his husband, Ernie Caswell.