Orange County

Son Arrested in Stabbing Death of Woman Found Dead in Garden Grove Home

A witness spotted Jonathan Warner and contacted police, who took him into custody after he assaulted an officer, according to authorities

The 28-year-old son of a 62-year-old woman found stabbed to death in a condominium the pair shared in Garden Grove is behind bars after being arrested and confessing to the slaying, investigators said.

A witness spotted Jonathan Warner walking near the intersection of College Avenue and Ninth Street about 1:45 p.m. Thursday and contacted police. When officers arrived and attempted to speak with Warner, he assaulted an officer and ran away but was taken into custody after a short chase, according to Garden Grove police Lt. Carl Whitney.

Warner was interviewed by detectives and confessed to killing his mother, Whitney said. He was being held without bail at the Orange County jail and was due in court Monday, according to Orange County Sheriff's Department jail records.

The suspect's mother, Vivian Wolff, was found dead about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday inside a room she was renting and sharing with her son in a condominium in the 14000 block of Flower Street. She was last seen alive at 9 p.m. Saturday, Whitney said.

There were no signs of a break-in, according to Whitney, who said a family friend found the body and called police. The victim had apparently been dead for about 24 hours, he said.

Police were looking for Warner, who had not been seen since Friday, and was considered a "person of interest" in the killing, Whitney said.

Anyone with information on the crime was urged to call police at 714-741-5786 or 714-741-5810.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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