A guy named Aloysius Winthrop James, who is 57 years old and hails from Georgia, has entered a plea of not guilty to the cold-case murder of Ofelia Sandoval, which occurred at the Town Center Motel in Santa Maria 36 years ago.
James, who was detained at his home in Georgia in April, was charged with the murder of the 30-year-old lady in 1988, according to a statement that was issued by Santa Barbara District Attorney John Savrnoch and released on Monday. The statement indicated that charges had been filed against James.
Since the cold case has remained open and active ever since Sandoval was murdered thirty years ago, the Santa Maria Detective Bureau was able to serve an arrest warrant at James’s apartment in Gainesville, Georgia.
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Several law enforcement agencies, including the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office, the San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office, the Gainesville Police Department, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, and the FBI Task Force–Gainesville, provided support to the Detective Bureau. After that, James was extradited to Santa Barbara County, where he is now being held without the possibility of freedom on bond.
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James, who was a resident of Santa Maria at the time, is currently facing one count of first-degree murder. In addition, District Attorney Savrnoch has charged him with a special circumstance for a murder committed during the commission of rape. A not-guilty plea was submitted by James in response to the charge, and he denied the existence of the special circumstance. James is expected to make his next court appearance on July 30 independent stated.
According to a news release issued by the Santa Maria Police Department, “Detectives believe there may be other unreported crimes and additional victims related to James involving threats, sexual assault, domestic abuse, and other crimes.”
