Suspect Jailed in Brutal 1994 Slaying of Oceanside Woman

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A suspect was behind bars today in connection with the savage slaying of an Oceanside woman in her bed 28 years ago, authorities said.

Jesus ``Jesse'' Velazquez Ayala, 58, was arrested Feb. 9 for allegedly murdering 54-year-old Dolores Rabaya, according to the Oceanside Police

Department.

Rabaya's bloodied body was found in her Edgehill Lane home on Jan. 1, 1994. She had suffered 27 stab wounds, including six to her chest and five to

her head, along with defensive wounds ``showing that (she) had attempted to fight off her attacker,'' OPD spokeswoman Jennifer Atenza said.

The previous evening, Ayala -- at the time a Carlsbad resident -- and Rabaya had been seen together celebrating New Year's Eve at a South Coast

Highway bar, and they left the establishment together, according to police.

``At the time of the murder, an extensive investigation was conducted by ... homicide detectives and (Ayala) was identified (as the suspected

killer), but charges could not be filed due to a lack of physical evidence,'' Atenza said.

Additionally, Ayala had left town shortly after the slaying, allegedly after stealing a getaway vehicle from the home where he had been staying

and serving as a caretaker for a family.

Eventually, the investigation went cold. In 2015, however, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office reopened the case and forensic evidence

recovered at the crime scene was resubmitted for examination using state-of-the-art technology.

Based on the new findings, an arrest warrant was issued for Ayala in 2016. Investigators eventually tracked down the suspect in Mexico. Last

week, he was extradited back to the United States, and police took him into custody when he arrived on a flight that landed at San Diego International

Airport, Atenza said.

Ayala was booked into Vista Detention Facility on suspicion of murder, burglary, auto theft and grand theft. He was being held on $5 million bail

pending trial.

Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.

CNS-02-17-2022 17:00