Sarabia sentencing for double homicide again delayed

August 18, 2004
Santa Paula News

The 17-year-old Santa Paulan boy convicted of a brutal double homicide will return to court on Sept. 22, the third time that Adam Sarabia is scheduled to learn his sentence.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThe 17-year-old Santa Paulan boy convicted of a brutal double homicide will return to court on Sept. 22, the third time that Adam Sarabia is scheduled to learn his sentence.Two previous sentencing hearings, one in June and the other Aug. 9, were delayed at the request of Sarabia’s attorney. The double murder conviction means that Sarabia will spend 25 years to life in prison.Sarabia was convicted in March for the murder of murdered John Ramirez, 59, and his wife, Joann Wotkyns, 55. The couple was found slain in bed on the second floor of their two-story Las Pasadas home on October 21, 2002.Sarabia, who was 16 at the time and lived with his parents near the victims, entered the home through an unlocked door, beat them with a baseball bat and stabbed them with two knives. He also stole a cell phone, which was found among the evidence that helped convict him.
Sarabia also took Wotkyns’ distinctive special NASCAR edition Monte Carlo.Special allegations that Sarabia killed the couple during a burglary and robbery make Sarabia eligible for life in prison without the possibility of parole.His conviction followed a week of testimony from Santa Paula police, crime scene investigators and Sarabia’s friends who said that he showed up with Wotkyns’ Monte Carlo and said it belonged to a friend. Sarabia soon abandoned the car in the Kmart parking lot on Faulkner Road, less than a mile from the murders.SPPD investigators quickly zeroed in on Sarabia, whose parents had reportedly sought help for their son who was spinning out of control and acting strangely. After his arrest neighbors in the quiet Las Pasadas area told investigators of seeing Sarabia aimlessly walking the streets late at night, his head covered with the hood of a dark sweatshirt.Reportedly, Sarabia has not been cooperating with his attorney, Jay Johnson, on his defense. During the trial, Sarabia sat motionless with his mouth slightly open, showing no emotion and blankly staring ahead.



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