Murder charges filed against Venice attack suspect after victim’s death – NBC Los Angeles

A man previously accused of sexually abusing and mistreating two women in the Venice Canals area has been charged with murder following the death of one of the victims, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Anthony Francisco Jones, 29, is accused of attacking the two women on the night of April 6. One of the victims, 53-year-old Sarah Alden, had been in a coma since the attack but was taken off life support and died Friday.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the victim’s family and friends during this unimaginably tragic time,” District Attorney George Gascón said Tuesday in a statement announcing the murder charges. “We are committed to seeking justice for both victims of these heinous crimes. The additional murder charge carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, in addition to the life sentences for the previously charged crimes.”

Jones was arrested in San Diego last month in connection with the attacks. He was initially charged with two counts of rape and one count each of sexual penetration by force, assault, torture, attempted murder and sodomy by force.

According to the district attorney’s office, the newly filed murder charge includes specific allegations that he committed rape and sodomy during the execution of the murder.

He is due back at the Airport Branch Courthouse on June 11 for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to put him on trial. He is being held without bail.

According to Los Angeles police and prosecutors, the first attack occurred on April 6 at around 10:30 p.m. in the 2700 block of Strongs Drive, where Alden was attacked from behind and struck with a blunt object, rendering him unconscious. About an hour later, the suspect attacked another woman in a similar manner as she walked near Sherman Canal. That woman also suffered serious injuries but survived.

Alden, a Massachusetts resident, was a mother of two sons and was in the process of moving to Venice when the attack occurred.

According to a GoFundMe page set up to cover funeral expenses, she had planned to meet two close friends for breakfast on April 7 and tell them she was moving from Massachusetts to the Los Angeles area.

“She loved east coast sunrises and west coast sunsets,” a friend wrote on the page. “Sarah loved her two sons, her animals and had a keen eye for vintage jewelry, which she sold on roseark.com. At 53, Sarah wanted to start a new chapter in her journey; to forge a new path. Instead, her life was violently taken from her.”