ITICA MILANES

Communications Director for San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar

Itica Milanes was a television news anchor and reporter for more than 20 years. She started her career in Thomasville, Georgia, a small town on the Georgia/Florida border. Itica's next two stops were in North and South Carolina. Then, Houston, Texas came calling. That's where she covered one of the most bizarre but fascinating court cases of her entire career, the murder trial of Robert Durst. Media from all around the country showed up to see Durst admit to chopping up his elderly neighbor's body and tossing the pieces into Galveston Bay, only to be found not guilty. Itica also covered the tragic explosion of the Columbia Space Shuttle in 2003. That was an incredibly emotional story because several of the astronauts lived in Houston and were integral members of the community.

Itica's next move took her to the West Coast to the Golden State of California. After a few years in the Fresno market, Itica headed south to San Diego. She started as a reporter, was promoted to weekend anchor and then was promoted again to 5:30 and 6 PM anchor. A few months after arriving in San Diego in 2009, she covered a story that still haunts her; the murder of 17 year old Chelsea King. The manhunt for Chelsea's killer was extensive and went on for days. Itica had already developed valuable sources who gave her tips throughout the investigation and also tipped her off about the arrest of John Gardner. It turns out, Gardner is the same man who killed 14 year old Amber Dubois a year before killing Chelsea. In July 2011, Itica extensively covered another double tragedy that rocked the San Diego region. Six year old Max Shacknai fell from the staircase of his father's mansion in Coronado and was placed on life support. Max passed away a few days later. Two days after Max's accident, his father's girlfriend Rebecca Zahau, was found hanging from the balcony of the same home. Not only was she nude, her hands were tied behind her back, her legs were bound and she had a t-shirt wrapped around her neck and gagged in her mouth. The medical examiner and the Sheriff ruled her death a suicide. Now, six years later, a wrongful death civil suit is about to get underway. Itica is working with a documentary filmmaker about her coverage of this extraordinary case. Itica also had a cameo in the blockbuster documentary, "Blackfish".

Recently, Itica transitioned out of television news for the political arena but she still calls San Diego home. She is now the Communications Director for San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar. Itica loves animals and volunteers for "Lions, Tigers and Bears" as well as "The F.A.C.E. Foundation".