By Redaccion
[email protected]
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Warren Luther Alexander (DOB 01/12/51), of Diamondhead, Mississippi, pled not guilty at today’s arraignment.
Alexander is charged with three counts of first-degree murder related to a series of strangulation murders that occurred in 1977.
In February 2023, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit began re-examining the 1977 murders of Kimberly Carol Fritz, Velvet Ann Sanchez, and Lorraine Ann Rodriguez. In all three cases, an autopsy revealed the cause of death was strangulation. DNA evidence was collected from the crime scenes and the victims. Alexander was extradited to California and arrived on August 6, 2024, from Surry County, North Carolina, where he is awaiting prosecution for a 1992 cold case murder committed in that jurisdiction.
This was an investigation conducted by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit, Oxnard Police Department, and Port Hueneme Police Department. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit is comprised of detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and investigators from the District Attorney’s Office, who collectively review and investigate unsolved homicide cases.
Alexander’s next court date, for scheduling of conditional exams, is set for August 30, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 14 of the Ventura County Superior Court. An early disposition conference is set for September 25, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 11. Alexander remains in Ventura County Jail without bail.
Case: 2024003627
Defendant Information:
Warren Luther Alexander (DOB 01/12/51)
Diamondhead, Mississippi
Charges:
(3 counts) PC 187(a) – First-degree murder
Special Allegations:
PC 190.2(c)(5) – Multiple murders
