A nearly 40-year-old murder case in California linked back to Gainesville, Georgia, where authorities arrested a man for the crime.
Police arrested Aloysius Winthrop James, 57, and charged him with the murder of Ofelia Sandoval. The 30-year-old Santa Maria, California, woman was murdered at the Town Center Motel in Santa Maria on Sept. 18, 1988, according to police.
Officers took James into custody on April 16 while serving an arrest warrant at his Gainesville residence. Cracking the decades-old cold case required teamwork among several different states, police departments, investigators, and district attorneys’ offices. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Gainesville Police Department, and FBI Task Force in Gainesville assisted with his arrest.
While James is now a resident of Gainesville, the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) says he was a Santa Maria resident at the time of the murder. Police believe James may be linked to other crimes that have gone unreported.
“Detectives believe there may be other unreported crimes and additional victims related to James involving threats, sexual assault, domestic abuse and other crimes. The Santa Maria Police Department understands there may be victims who are hesitant to come forward about reporting as the subject matter could be sensitive,” SMPD said in a press release. They added that advocates will be available to assist anyone who comes forward throughout the process.
Police released four photos of James from 1988 to present.
California authorities are now working to extradite James from Georgia to Santa Barbara County to face the murder charge.
If you have any information about James’ involvement in this or any other violent or sexual crimes, please contact Santa Maria Police Department Detective Nate Craven at (805) 928-3781 ext. 1610 or [email protected].
