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A man who got away with rape and murder for nearly four decades will now spend the rest of his life behind bars after investigators used a covert DNA sample, collected with help from the FBI, to finally identify him.
A Santa Barbara County judge sentenced Aloysius Winthrop James, 59, to life without the possibility of parole, the maximum sentence allowed by law.
A jury had already convicted him in February of first-degree murder in the killing of 30-year-old Ofelia Sandoval, with the special circumstance that the murder was committed during a rape.
Sandoval was killed on Sept. 18, 1988, in Santa Maria. She was found strangled to death, and despite what authorities described as an extensive investigation at the time, the case went cold the following year.
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A series of booking photos shows Aloysius Winthrop James over time. Investigators linked him to the 1988 killing using DNA evidence. (Santa Maria Police Department)
For decades, it stayed that way.
“For nearly four decades, the 1988 murder of Ofelia Sandoval remained unsolved. This past week, justice was delivered,” the FBI said.
The break didn’t come until years later, as DNA technology advanced. In the early 2000s, investigators developed a DNA profile from evidence collected in Sandoval’s room, but it didn’t match anyone in national databases.
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Aloysius Winthrop James was arrested in Georgia in 2024 and later convicted in the decades-old case. (Santa Maria Police Department)
Investigators said DNA evidence ultimately became the key to solving the case. According to Cal Coast News, evidence collected in 1988 included DNA found on a towel and shirt near Sandoval’s body. When that evidence was tested years later, it did not match anyone in law enforcement databases at the time.
That’s when the FBI partnered with Santa Maria police to obtain a covert DNA sample from James. As the case was revisited, investigators later obtained DNA linked to James, including from a glove he discarded, which ultimately matched the profile developed from the original evidence, authorities said, Cal Coast News reported.
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James was arrested in Georgia in April 2024. A jury ultimately found him guilty.
“A jury in California convicted Aloysius Winthrop James of first-degree murder in this long-running cold case — a breakthrough made possible in part by the work of the FBI in Atlanta collecting a covert DNA sample,” the FBI said.
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Aerial footage of Santa Maria, California, the city where Ofelia Sandoval was killed in 1988 in a case solved decades later through DNA evidence. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
During the investigation and again after his arrest, James denied having any contact with Sandoval, according to Cal Coast News. But at trial, he admitted the two had sex, while claiming he initially lied because his father was a pastor.
His attorney argued the DNA evidence did not prove he committed the murder.
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Now, investigators believe there could be more victims.
“Investigators believe there may be additional victims connected to James involving threats, sexual assault, domestic abuse, or other crimes,” the FBI said, urging anyone with information to contact the Santa Maria Police Department.
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Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch called the sentencing “the culmination of almost 38 years of work,” and said it marks the beginning of “some sense of closure” for Sandoval’s family.
That closure has been a long time coming.
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According to prosecutors, four generations of Sandoval’s family supported the case over the years. In court, her children spoke about the lasting impact of her death.
“The bravery, dedication, and resilience of Ofelia’s three children, Marcelino, Maricela and Alex, is truly remarkable,” the DA’s office said.
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Digital reached out to James’ lawyer for comment.
