Man sentenced to life without parole for murder, sexual assaults near Venice canals
VENICE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A 30-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder and sexual assault of one woman and the sexual assault of another woman near the Venice canals, prosecutors said Friday.
Anthony Francisco Jones pleaded no contest and was sentenced by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Cathryn F. Brougham to life in prison plus 107 years to life in state prison, plus 8 years state prison.
The defendant pleaded no contest to one count of murder, two counts of forcible rape, one count of sexual penetration by use of force, one count of mayhem, one count of torture, and one count of sodomy by use of force.
Jones also admitted to allegations that the defendant kidnapped the victims, committed offenses against more than one victim, and that he inflicted great bodily injury on the victims, the district attorney's office said in a news release. He also admitted that the murder of one of the victims occurred while he was engaged in the commission of rape and sodomy.
"We're sending a clear message that we will be very aggressive in any cases like this," said L.A. District Attorney George Gascón, who added that he's pleased with the quick outcome, considering how long it could've taken if the case went to trial.
"Pretrial motions would take sometimes more than a year," he said. "I think in this case, the strength of the evidence convinced the defense that it would be somewhat, perhaps, unlikely that there would be any other outcome."
Officers responded around 10:30 p.m. on April 6 to the 2700 block of Strongs Drive on a report of a woman being approached from behind and struck with a blunt object, leaving the woman unconscious, authorities said. The suspect similarly attacked another woman about an hour later as she was walking near the Sherman Canal.
Jones was taken into custody on April 11 in San Diego, according to Los Angeles police. One of the victims died of her injuries on May 20.
The victims didn't know Jones and police didn't know him either. His only prior misdemeanors offenses happened in Oklahoma. While Gascón boasts about aggressively prosecuting cases like this, he admits it's not as easy to prevent them.
"Trying to predict what could happen ... here's a guy that had no history of violence, no history in California ... he came someplace else," said Gascón.
As part of the agreement, Jones is not only ineligible for parole, he also waived his right to appeal, which means there's no chance he'll ever get out of prison.
