The man accused of raping two women and murdering one of them in brutal attacks along the Venice Canals on the same day in April pleaded guilty to the charges on Friday and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Anthony Francisco Jones pleaded guilty to murder with special circumstances, two counts of rape, one count of sexual penetration by use of force, one count of mutilation, one count of torture and one count of sodomy by use of force in connection with the April 6 attacks.
After Jones pleaded guilty to those charges, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Cathryn F. Brougham sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 107 years to life in prison, plus eight years for the genital mutilation charge.
Jones, during his court appearance, also admitted that he kidnapped the victims, committed crimes against more than one of them and inflicted grievous bodily harm on them. He also admitted that the murder occurred while he was committing rape and sodomy.
Sarah Alden, a 53-year-old mother of two, was left in a coma by the attack and eventually died from her injuries. She was declared brain dead on May 20 and taken off life support four days later; her organs were donated after her death.
The second woman, Mary Klein, was hospitalized with significant injuries, including multiple fractures to her jaw, but survived.
Klein described her ordeal to the Times from her hospital bed immediately after the attack. She had been out for a walk after work when she was thrown to the ground and severely beaten, resulting in at least eight fractures to her jaw, several loose teeth, a large gash on the back of her head and severe bruising to her face and neck.
“Could this have been prevented?” Klein asked in a statement she read during the sentencing hearing. “This guy was basically parading down Washington Boulevard in Venice Beach, the popular tourist destination in Los Angeles, with a half-empty bottle of liquor, intimidating women on the street. If he had been stopped before the attack, imagine how different life would be today for me, for Sarah, for Sarah’s children, and for all the people terrorized by this attack.”
A surveillance video from a nearby home in the 2700 block of Strongs Drive that captured the assault — which prosecutors described in a document requesting that Jones be held without bail — shows a man dragging Klein's body to the front door of a home.
The video shows the man sexually assaulting Klein, who was unconscious, for about seven minutes. After the assault, he stands up, pulls up his pants, kicks Klein and walks away. He then returns to Klein's side and kicks her in the head “with all his force” while she was sitting down. While she was lying on the ground, he stood with both feet on her head before eventually leaving the scene.
The Times’ policy is not to identify victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, but Klein, 55, agreed to share her story. Klein still needs tens of thousands of dollars in orthodontic surgeries, and her friends have set up an online fundraising account.
That night of violence, with its brutality and apparent lack of motive, has shaken the community. Many locals had always believed that this tourist destination with multimillion-dollar homes perched along canals was safe, even when walking alone at night.
Following the sentencing, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón praised the investigative work of the Los Angeles Police Department’s sex crimes detectives. “Their tireless efforts and commitment to justice have been instrumental in holding the offender accountable and providing a measure of justice for the victims,” he said.
“Our prosecutors fought hard to bring 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 prosecutor added.
