Man charged with murder in connection with 3 strangulation deaths in Southern California in 1977

[danij614]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/07/us/california-1977-strangulations-suspect-charged/index.html

"A Mississippi man authorities are calling a “suspected serial killer” has been charged in connection with the 1977 strangulation deaths of three women in Southern California, prosecutors in California said Wednesday.

Warren Luther Alexander, 73, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and also faces special allegations of multiple murders, according to a news release from the Ventura County district attorney’s office. He was extradited on Tuesday from Surry County, North Carolina, where he was awaiting prosecution in connection with a 1992 homicide, according to the release.

Alexander made his first appearance in Ventura County Superior Court Wednesday, but his arraignment was continued to August 21. He is being held without bail, according to the DA’s office.


Alexander is being represented by the Ventura County Public Defender’s Office, but the case has not been assigned and the office had no comment Wednesday, Chief Deputy Public Defender Ayala Benefraim told CNN.

In February 2023, the cold case unit of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department started re-examining the killings of Kimberly Carol Fritz, 18, Velvet Ann Sanchez, 31, and Lorraine Ann Rodriguez, 21, officials said. Autopsies for all three deaths at the time revealed the victims died by strangulation.

“DNA evidence was collected from the crime scenes and the victims,” the DA’s office said in the release without elaborating.

The killings happened over the span of seven months in three different jurisdictions of Ventura County, according to the news release.

Authorities have not revealed what led them to identify Alexander as a suspect, but a news conference will be held Thursday, during which photos and videos of Alexander will be provided, the news release said."

 

[dotr]

rbbm

'Serial killer' charged over cold-case murders after almost 50 years

Warren Luther Alexander (pictured), 73, of Diamondhead, Mississippi , faces allegations of multiple first-degree murders in southern California.

www.dailymail.co.uk

''The cold case unit of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department started re-examining the killings of Kimberly Carol Fritz, 18, Velvet Ann Sanchez, 31, and Lorraine Ann Rodriguez, 21.

All of their deaths took place over the span of seven months in three different jurisdictions of Ventura County, including Port Hueneme, Oxnard and Ventura.''

 

[otto]

This sounds interesting! He was born in 1951. He murdered 3 women (allegedly) in 1977 on the West coast at the age of 26. He murdered in 1992 on the East coast when he was 41 years old.

Chances are that he murdered all across the country between the ages of 26 and 41. I'm curious about his travel and career history, and whether he spent any time in Canada. There are unsolved, somewhat similar murders in Western Canada during that same time period.

 

[MAHBOOBOO]

This sounds interesting! He was born in 1951. He murdered 3 women (allegedly) in 1977 on the West coast at the age of 26. He murdered in 1992 on the East coast when he was 41 years old.

Chances are that he murdered all across the country between the ages of 26 and 41. I'm curious about his travel and career history, and whether he spent any time in Canada. There are unsolved, somewhat similar murders in Western Canada during that same time period.

Oh it's likely he's been free to murder a lot longer than that unfortunately. He wasn't arrested for the 1992 murder until 2022. So I agree that there's probably more victims. AND... he was a truck driver, so yeap, his crimes could be all over the continent.

From that Daily Mail article:
"In 2022, the 73-year-old was taken into custody for the 1992 murder of Nona Stamey Cobb, who was found on the side of Interstate 77 in Surry County, N.C."

https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/piedmont-triad/suspect-in-nona-cobbs-1992-murder-arrested-extradited-back-to-surry-county/

"Cobb’s body was found on a ramp to I-77 near Elkin in July of 1992 by a truck driver. She had been strangled to death. She was last seen alive in Cleveland County when a woman said they saw Cobb get into a tractor-trailer with a man.

DNA evidence was taken from Cobb in 1992. The DNA evidence was retested in 2021."

 

[otto]

Oh it's likely he's been free to murder a lot longer than that unfortunately. He wasn't arrested for the 1992 murder until 2022. So I agree that there's probably more victims. AND... he was a truck driver, so yeap, his crimes could be all over the continent.

From that Daily Mail article:
"In 2022, the 73-year-old was taken into custody for the 1992 murder of Nona Stamey Cobb, who was found on the side of Interstate 77 in Surry County, N.C."

https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/piedmont-triad/suspect-in-nona-cobbs-1992-murder-arrested-extradited-back-to-surry-county/

"Cobb’s body was found on a ramp to I-77 near Elkin in July of 1992 by a truck driver. She had been strangled to death. She was last seen alive in Cleveland County when a woman said they saw Cobb get into a tractor-trailer with a man.

DNA evidence was taken from Cobb in 1992. The DNA evidence was retested in 2021."

Thank you! There must be victims throughout North America.

 

[dotr]

Aug 8, 2024
An accused serial killer was extradited to Ventura County after prosecutors said he was responsible for three murders in the 1970s.

 

[dotr]

Suspected serial killer charged in 1977 cold case murders of 3 young women: Authorities

A man already in custody has been arrested in the murders of three young women who were strangled to death in 1977 in California, authorities said.

abcnews.go.com

rbbm

An undated photo of Warren Luther Alexander from the 1970's.
Ventura County District Attorney's Office
''Alexander lived in Ventura County in the late 1950s and 1960s and he returned there in the 1970s, Nasarenko said. He was a long-haul cross-country truck driver from the 1970s to the 1990s, Nasarenko said.
Nasarenko said authorities believe there are more victims and said investigators are working with the FBI to try to solve other cases.''

DA to hold news conference on serial killer suspect

Investigators from the Ventura County Cold Case Unit have arrested Warren Luther Alexander of Diamondhead, Mississippi, on three counts of murder, related to a series of strangulation murders that occurred

www.ojaivalleynews.com

''The arraignment was continued to Aug. 21 at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 11.''

 

[DS2021]

He wasnt arrested in the NC murder until 2022. So he was free for 45ish years after the 1977 killings

Diamondhead man arrested in connection to North Carolina cold case

Federal authorities arrested 71-year-old Warren Luther Alexander Tuesday at his Diamondhead home. He’s accused of a 30-year-old murder in Surry County, North Carolina.

www.wlox.com

 

[DS2021]

Velvet Ann Sanchez 1977

Clipping found in Ventura County Star published in Ventura, California on 9/9/1977. Velvet Ann Sanchez 1977

www.newspapers.com

Velet was found dead in a motel room

 

[DS2021]

Lorraine Ann Rodriguez Camarillo Daily News Wednesday, December 28, 1977

Clipping found in Camarillo Star published in Ventura, California on 12/28/1977. Lorraine Ann Rodriguez Camarillo Daily News Wednesday, December 28, 1977

www.newspapers.com

Kimberly Fritz May 31, 1977

Clipping found in Ventura County Star published in Ventura, California on 5/31/1977. Kimberly Fritz May 31, 1977

www.newspapers.com

 

[DS2021]

All 3 murders were seemingly linked by LE early on.

All 3 were strangled w their underwear. Normally i wouldnt mention that, but it may be useful in identifying other victims

Warren Luther Alexander victims 1977

Clipping found in Ventura County Star published in Ventura, California on 5/13/1978. Warren Luther Alexander victims 1977

www.newspapers.com

 

[DS2021]

Back when Nona was found, LE claimed they would look into a link between her case and 5 women from Charlotte who disappeared in the months prior. 3 of them were involved in SW. Along with 10 other victims dumped along interstates in Ohio and Michigan

Nona Stamey Cobb

Clipping found in Winston-Salem Journal published in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on 7/23/1992. Nona Stamey Cobb

www.newspapers.com

 

[DS2021]

Back when Nona was found, LE claimed they would look into a link between her case and 5 women from Charlotte who disappeared in the months prior. 3 of them were involved in SW. Along with 10 other victims dumped along interstates in Ohio and Michigan

Nona Stamey Cobb

Clipping found in Winston-Salem Journal published in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on 7/23/1992. Nona Stamey Cobb

www.newspapers.com

Rhey also were gonna look at a link between her and a series of 12 murders of woman who are primarily red heads. They said theres 12 victims, dumped in and near Tennessee.
Are they referring to the infamous "Redhead Murders"?

Nona Stamey Cobb part 2

Clipping found in Winston-Salem Journal published in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on 7/23/1992. Nona Stamey Cobb part 2

www.newspapers.com

The article said half were found in TN, the other 6 found near the TN border of other states.

Im seeing 5 victims found in TN on this list

Redhead murders - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[otto]

I'm somewhat unclear about how police connected Warren Alexander to the 1992 murder. His DNA was uploaded in 2022, which is how he was connected to the three other murders.

Was genealogy DNA used to identify him in the 1992 murder?

 

[61Montcalm]

Man charged in three 1970s California murders after DNA match

Warren Luther Alexander, 73, was arrested for the decades-old killings of three women in southern California

www.theguardian.com

An article from The Guardian in the UK.

 

[otto]

Man charged in three 1970s California murders after DNA match

Warren Luther Alexander, 73, was arrested for the decades-old killings of three women in southern California

www.theguardian.com

An article from The Guardian in the UK.

Thank you! From your link:

"Investigative genealogy had identified Alexander as a suspect in the 1992 killing of 29-year-old Nona Cobb, whose body was left along Interstate 77 in North Carolina."

 

[cvaldez1975]

I came to see about this!

 

[Betty P]

This sounds interesting! He was born in 1951. He murdered 3 women (allegedly) in 1977 on the West coast at the age of 26. He murdered in 1992 on the East coast when he was 41 years old.

Chances are that he murdered all across the country between the ages of 26 and 41. I'm curious about his travel and career history, and whether he spent any time in Canada. There are unsolved, somewhat similar murders in Western Canada during that same time period.

A long-haul cross-country truck driver. He could have victims in any state, Canada, too.

Most definitely, LE needs to track his movements and history. He probably had other victims.