Ventura Strangler
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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. The killings occurred around the same time the Hillside Strangler was active in nearby Los Angeles, and at one point they were thought to be linked 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.
On May 29, 1977, the body of 18-year-old Kimberly Carol Fritz was discovered lying on a bed in a motel in Port Hueneme. At the time, 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]