Southwest
Suspect extradited from Mexico, arrested 20 years to the day in cold case murder of Arizona girl
A suspect has been arrested in connection with a brutal 20-year-old cold case murder of a young Arizona girl.
The Phoenix Police Department (PPD) confirmed to Fox News Digital in a statement that Sergio Francisco Reyes, 37, was arrested on Wednesday for the 2004 murder of 15-year-old Elena Lasswell.
Reyes’ arrest comes exactly 20 years, to the day, after Lasswell was killed in her Phoenix home on July 10, 2004.
“On July 10, 2024, exactly 20 years after the horrific murder of then 15-year-old Elena Lasswell, detectives with the Phoenix Police Department’s cold case unit have arrested and booked 37-year-old Sergio Reyes for multiple violent felonies to include sexual assault and 1st Degree murder,” Sgt. Brian Bower of the PPD Public Affairs Bureau said in a statement.
CALIFORNIA MAN WHO WENT BY ALIAS FOR 40 YEARS ARRESTED IN WOMAN’S MURDER
Phoenix police arrested Sergio Francisco Reyes, left, in connection with the murder of Elena Lasswell, inset, 20 years to the day the killing happened. (Katie Tourville/FOX 10 Phoenix)
Police said that Reyes was extradited from Mexico on Wednesday, and booked into Maricopa County Jail for several violent felony charges.
It was just after 8 p.m. on July 10, 2004, when Phoenix police responded to a house in the area of 23rd Ave. and Thomas Road.
Officers and Phoenix fire personnel were directed to a room where they found the victim, identified later as Lasswell.
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Sergio Francisco Reyes, 37, was extradited from Mexico on July 10 and booked into Maricopa County Jail on multiple charges, including sexual assault and 1st-degree murder of Elena Lasswell, the Phoenix Police Department said in a press release. (FOX 10 Phoenix/Phoenix Police Department)
“Emergency lifesaving measures were attempted but Lasswell did not survive her injuries and was pronounced deceased on scene,” police said in a statement.
Officers were able to contact several witnesses and then turned the case over to homicide detectives, who took over the investigation and developed leads with no direct information as to who killed had Lasswell.
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Phoenix police arrested Sergio Francisco Reyes, left, in connection with the murder of Elena Lasswell, 20 years, to the day, after the killing happened. (FOX 10 Phoenix)
Detectives, not having any suspects, presented the case to Silent Witness, asking for community support in identifying a suspect. However, investigators ran out of leads, causing the case to go cold.
In 2012, police said cold case detectives used DNA collection techniques and were able to identify a profile that matched Reyes.
In March 2013, DNA evidence was processed and confirmed Reyes as the lead suspect.
Reyes, who police said was living in Mexico at the time, was indicted by a Maricopa County grand jury in 2014. This then prompted the start of the extradition process with help from U.S. Marshals Service to locate and arrest Reyes for the alleged brutal sexual attack and murder of Lasswell.
FLORIDA DETECTIVES SOLVE 37-YEAR-OLD COLD CASE MURDER OF FORMER FIREFIGHTER
Elena Lasswell’s aunt, left, told FOX 10 that the family does not wish revenge on her suspected killer; they just wanted him caught so he can’t hurt anyone else. (Katie Tourville/FOX 10 Phoenix)
FOX 10 Phoenix spoke with Lasswell’s aunt on Wednesday afternoon about the emotions the family is feeling.
“Knowing that someone is being held responsible feels awesome,” Katie Tourville said. “It’s been a long haul, and thank God for Phoenix PD. They have been absolutely amazing. I just really felt that they were on the right trail, and that they would get it. I just didn’t know when.”
Elena’s mother had passed away in the years since her daughter’s murder, but Tourville said the mother’s wish was not revenge.
“She wanted him to be caught so he couldn’t hurt anyone else,” Tourville said.
According to jail records, Reyes is being held on $1.5 million bond, and his next court appearance is scheduled for July 17.
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Los Angeles, Ca
LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture
Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.
Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.
Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.
“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”
The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.
A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.
The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.
“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.
The two men appeared to be uninjured.
As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.
LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.
The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.
Los Angeles, Ca
Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.
Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.
On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.
Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.
Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.
“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.
The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.
Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.
Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.
Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.
Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.
Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.
The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.
“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.
“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”
The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.
At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.
Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.
The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.
Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.
Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.
Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.
They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.
Los Angeles, Ca
Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars
A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]
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