Guilty plea entered in fatal RB stabbing
(CNS) – A Rancho Bernardo man who repeatedly stabbed his 28-year-old neighbor, who was attacked as she was talking on the telephone with her mother, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder.
Richard Saldivar, 40, also admitted that he used a deadly weapon in theOct. 22, 2009, attack on Jennifer Lee Jones.
Saldivar faces 26 years to life in prison when he is sentenced April 2 by Judge Charles Rogers.
The change of plea came right before a scheduled preliminary hearing in the case. The defendant consulted with his attorney for about an hour before admitting his guilt.
Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler said Jones had recently moved into her Avenida Venusto apartment, directly across from Saldivar. She had just come home from work and was speaking with her mother on the phone when the defendant entered her apartment and stabbed her multiple times, the prosecutor said.
“This was a completely unprovoked ambush,’’ Spieler said, “on a person he barely knew.’’
The victim’s mother told police that while she was talking on the phone with her daughter, she heard a man’s voice, followed by screeching or a yelling sound. The woman then lost contact with her daughter. She tried to call back but was unsuccessful, so contacted San Diego police.
Saldivar had fresh cuts on his hands and scratches on his arms consistent with the attack when he was arrested, Spieler said.
A search of the defendant’s apartment — 20 feet away from the victim’s residence — turned up physical evidence in the case, the prosecutor said.
She said Saldivar was unemployed and had been served with an eviction notice on the day of the murder. A motive was not disclosed, although police have said they have one.
Jones was a devout Jehovah’s Witness who moved into the Rancho Bernardo neighborhood about 2 1/2 years ago from Ohio, according to family friend Ken Chernish, who said he was also a member of the church’s Bernardo Heights congregation. He recalled the victim as “a delightful young lady’’ who “always has a smile on her face.’’
The hope to someday see Jones again in the future — part of the family’s religious faith — is getting them through the loss of their daughter, Chernish said.
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