They were a shocking string of murders in Ventura County in 1977 which turned into cold cases which have finally just been solved.
Ventura County law enforcement officers say DNA evidence led them to now 73-year-old man they believe is responsible for four brutal murders, including three in the county.
"These murders may have occurred 47 years ago, but the investigators with the Ventura County DA's Office, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department Cold Case Unit, and officers and detectives with the Port Hueneme and Oxnard never gave up,"
said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. He said Warren Luther Alexander is facing three first degree murder charges.
Velvet Sanchez, Kimberly Fritz, and Lorraine Rodriguez were all strangled during a seven month long period in 1977.
Detectives think Alexander targeted vulnerable women. "All three victims were commercial sex workers, a vocation which subjected them to violence, trafficking, as well as extreme exploitation," said Nasaranko.
The killings involved three jurisdictions: Unincorporated Ventura County, Oxnard, and Santa Paula. Investigators realized they were dealing with a serial killer, but didn’t have enough evidence to track down the murderer.
But, detectives never gave up. Oxnard Police Chief Jason Benites says the case was literally passed along through generations of investigators.
"These murder cases have literally spanned generations of detectives," said the police chief. "Many of the detectives and officers that initially responded to these cases are either long since retired or passed on."
Advances in DNA technology would eventually make the difference in the case, but it wasn’t as simple as you might think. In 2006, DNA samples were sent to the national database, but didn't get a hit.
But, persistence paid off. Nasarenko says in 2023, cold case detectives resubmitted DNA to the national database, leading them to Alexander.
He had been arrested, and was being held in North Carolina for a 1992 murder. He was arrested for the Ventura County killings and extradited to California this week.
So, who is Alexander?
He grew up in Oxnard, going to school in the community. He joined the Marines, and returned in the 1970's.
During the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s Alexander was a long haul trucker. He was living in Mississippi. The DA thinks there may be more victims around the country, and maybe more in Ventura County. He says the investigation is still active.
But, prosecutors say they are racing the calendar. With the defendant in his seventies, and witnesses in their sixties and seventies, age is catching up with everyone. Nasaranko says they will seek life in prison without the possibility of parole, because death penalty cases can take years.
Alexander hasn’t entered a plea to the murder charges yet.
Despite the more than four decades that have passed since the murders, the three victims have a number of living relatives, ranging from fathers and sisters to children. Port Hueneme Police Chief Michael Federico says he hopes the arrest can bring some comfort to the families.
"A lot has changed in Ventura County since the deaths of Kimberly Fritz, Velvet Sanchez and Lorraine Rodriguez," said the chief. "But what hasn't changed is our commitment to provide justice for the victims, and their families."
