Ventura Strangler
Ventura Strangler | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Victims | 3 |
Span of crimes | May – December 1977 |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Location | Ventura County |
Date apprehended | August 8, 2024 |
The Ventura Strangler is the name given to an American serial killer responsible for the murders of three sex workers in Ventura County, California, from May to December 1977. At the time, the killings were suspected to have been committed by the Hillside Strangler, who was active in nearby Los Angeles, before it became evident that a separate killer was responsible.[1][2]
In 2024, it was announced that Warren Luther Alexander, who at the time was awaiting trial for a 1992 murder in North Carolina, had been linked to the Ventura killings via DNA.[3] He was extradited to California and is currently awaiting trial.
Murders
On May 29, 1977, the body of 18-year-old Kimberly Carol Fritz was discovered lying in a bed in a motel in Port Hueneme. At the, Fritz was under the alias "Carol Brown" and had engaged in prostitution in nearby Oxnard.[4] She had been strangled to death, and although investigators located one witness that they used hypnosis on, the investigation brought very few leads.[5]
On September 9, the body of 31-year-old Velvet Ann Sanchez was found on the floor of a hotel room in Oxnard. Similar with the Fritz case, Sanchez had been strangled to death.[6] On December 27, the body of 22-year-old Lorraine Rodriguez was found on a bridge in Oxnard. She too had been strangled to death.[7]
Investigation
At the time of Ventura killings, nearby Los Angeles was dealing with similar murders that were later attributed to a "Hillside Strangler", and the deaths of Fritz, Sanchez, and Rodriguez were suspected to be linked to that case. This suspicion only furthered after Richard Reynolds, a deceased man who became a suspect the Los Angeles killings, was in Ventura County at the time of the killings there.[8] However, Reynolds was later cleared in both cases.[2] In 1979, Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono were arrested for the Los Angeles killings.
2024 arrest
In August 2024, investigators were notified when DNA in the Ventura killings was matched to a suspect, 73-year-old Warren Luther Alexander. Alexander, a native of Southern California, was a former truck driver who was arrested in 2022 for the 1992 murder of Nona Cobb in North Carolina.[9] Alexander was subsequently indicted with the murders and extradited to California. He has pleaded not guilty and is slated for trial in May 2025.[10]
See also
References
- ^ Dead man resembles strangler suspect. Reno Gazette-Journal. May 8, 1978. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ a b He's Not Ventura Strangler. The Fresno Bee. May 15, 1978. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ Harter, Clara (October 22, 2024). DNA shed light on 1977 cold cases. Now, suspected serial strangler will stand trial in Ventura. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ Woman found strangled in Hueneme identified. Ventura County Star. May 31, 1977. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ Hypnosis used in probe. Camarillo Star. July 3, 1977. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ Bodies of two women found. Valley News. September 11, 1977. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ Strangling victim was young Oxnard woman. Ventura County Star. December 28, 1977. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ Gore, Robert J. (May 7, 1978). Slain man was Strangler suspect. The Star-Ledger. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ Michael Hewlett (April 9, 2022). "Cold case arrest testament to DNA technology". Statesville Record & Landmark. p. 5. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ Phillips, Grant (March 20, 2025). Alleged Ventura County serial killer trial pushed back again. Ojai Valley News. Retrieved March 31, 2025.