At a brunch, Sarah Alden had intended to surprise her guests with the good news that she had just signed a new lease at a house near Venice Beach, California, “her favorite part of the United States.”
However, Anthony Francisco Jones, 30, attacked her with a liquor bottle the night before the brunch on April 6 and sexually assaulted her, so she was never able to tell her friends about the new chapter in her life. That same night, he also attacked and sexually assaulted another woman. After around six weeks, Alden, 53, was taken off life support by physicians who deemed her brain dead.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón stated on Friday that Jones entered a not guilty plea to two charges of forcible rape and one count each of murder, sexual penetration by use of force, mayhem, torture, and sodomy by use of force.
Judge Cathryn F. Brougham of the Superior Court sentenced Jones to 107 years to life in state prison and life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“Our prosecutors fought hard to serve justice today in response to Mr. Anthony Jones’ vile actions, including a brutal murder. Our hearts go out to the victim, the survivor, their families, and the Venice community. The pain and loss experienced by these individuals and their loved ones is horrific, and we extend our deepest empathy and compassion to them during this incredibly difficult time,” Gascón stated.
Jones was identified by the authorities as homeless, and they utilized surveillance footage of him holding the alcohol bottle he used in the attacks to identify him as a suspect. A few days after the attack in San Diego, he was taken into police custody.
According to a GoFundMe, Alden loved animals, sold vintage jewelry online, and had two boys. Mary Klein, a survivor, told KTLA, that Jones attacked her from behind while she was walking.
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A few days after the incident, she said from her hospital bed, “All of a sudden, I just get knocked out.” “One of my teeth broke off. My jaw doesn’t move. He struck my face severely.
She compared the experience to “being hit by a truck.” She sustained severe facial and breast bruises, a fractured jaw, shattered teeth, and a large cut in the back of her skull.
Klein is still recovering today. After Jones was sentenced, she expressed her satisfaction that he would no longer be able to prey on others.
