''Twinkie Defense'' stabbing: suspect's car found; body that could be suspect washes ashore

SAN ANSELMO, Calif. - Authorities have found the car - and possibly the body - of the woman suspected of stabbing a psychiatrist best known for the ''Twinkie Defense'' in the murder trial of a San Francisco Supervisor.

Dorothy Braco, 61, is suspected of stabbing her ex-husband Martin Blinder in the chest Friday afternoon at his home. Blinder, 63, called police after the attack and was rushed into surgery. He lost a considerable amount of blood, but is expected to live.

Braco's black 1994 Volkswagen Jetta was found near the Golden Gate Bridge on Saturday. Then on Sunday, the body of a woman, described as a white adult in her mid- to late 50's washed ashore on Esplanade Beach near Pacifica, about 15 miles south of San Francisco.

While San Anselmo Police have been exploring the possibility that Braco committed suicide, Officer Stephen Nelson told the Marin Independent Journal that Golden Gate Bridge officials had no reports of a jumper.

The woman's body had not been identified Sunday evening, but San Anselmo police said they are investigating a possible relationship between the body and the Blinder stabbing.

Blinder testified during the 1979 trial of San Francisco Supervisor Dan White, who gunned down San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. Blinder testified that White's junk-food diet of Twinkies and Coca-Cola contributed to his erratic behavior.

White was convicted of manslaughter rather than murder, partly on the basis of Blinder's testimony.

Braco and Blinder were married in 1966, and she filed for divorce 10 years later. In 1980, she sought a restraining order to keep Blinder from visiting their two children. She claimed he rented out his home for use in pornographic films, and she took issue with his lifestyle.