Case # 17NF1330
Date: May 19, 2017
MAN TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR STABBING-MURDERS OF TWO HOMELESS MEN IN ANAHEIM THREE MONTHS APART
*Law enforcement seeking additional witnesses
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man is scheduled to be arraigned today for the special circumstances stabbing-murders of two homeless men in Anaheim three months apart.
|
Defendant |
Charges |
Minimum Sentence |
Court Date |
|
Marvin Magallanes, 25, Anaheim |
Sentencing Enhancements
|
Life in state prison without the possibility of parole |
Arraignment
May 19, 2017, time to be determined
Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana |
Circumstances of the Case
- On Oct. 27, 2016, Magallanes is accused of stabbing 52-year-old Onosai Tavita, a homeless man, on Euclid Street in Anaheim.
- The victim was found dead as a result of multiple stab wounds in the early morning, and a suspect was not immediately identified or located during the Anaheim Police Department (APD) investigation.
- On Jan. 25, 2017, the defendant is accused of stabbing 49-year-old Sabah Alsaad, also a homeless man, to death on South Magnolia Avenue in the early morning.
- APD investigated and collected forensic evidence, but the case remained unsolved.
- On May 12, 2017, Magallanes is accused of speaking with APD officers at the front counter, who connected the defendant with Alsaad’s murder and arrested him at the station.
- APD used forensic evidence from both crime scenes to link the defendant to both murders.
The APD and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office encourage anyone who may have witnessed these or similar crimes to contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS, or by email at https://occrimestoppers.org.
Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Eric Scarbrough, Homicide Unit