Suspected serial killer accused of fatally strangling 3 women in California in 1977 is arrested

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (TCN) -- A 73-year-old suspected serial killer from Mississippi has been charged in connection with the 1977 strangling deaths of three women in California.

According to a news release from the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, in February 2023, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit reopened a case regarding the 1977 killings of Kimberly Carol Fritz, Velvet Ann Sanchez, and Lorraine Ann Rodriguez. Autopsies revealed they each died of strangulation, and investigators at the time obtained evidence from the crime scenes.

Officials identified Warren Alexander of Diamondhead, Mississippi, as the primary suspect in their deaths. Prosecutors announced his arrest this week on three counts of murder.

Alexander was extradited to California on Aug. 6 from Surry County, North Carolina, where he was awaiting prosecution for a 1992 cold case death.

According to the Surry County Sheriff's Office, in July 1992, Nona Cobb's remains were found on the side of Interstate 77. Investigators in North Carolina identified Alexander as a suspect through DNA testing and arrested him on March 15, 2022.

Alexander is scheduled to be arraigned in Ventura County Superior Court on Aug. 21. He remains held in the Ventura County Jail without bail.