Fountain Valley Man Arrested in Women’s Murders

A Fountain Valley man accused in two “very brutal murders” in Santa Ana was ordered held for extradition Thursday after a court hearing.

Ronald James Blaney Jr., 30, was arrested Tuesday in Chino Valley after arriving at his mother’s house. Blaney, who is deaf and unabled to speak, was charged in the stabbing deaths Monday night of his girlfriend, Priscilla Vinci, 33, who is also deaf, and her mother, Josephine Vinci, 65.

At a hearing before Justice of the Peace Robert W. Kuebler, Santa Ana Police Detective William Ehert said the two women were killed at their home during “a very large fight.” He said both were stabbed about 40 times.

“They were very brutal murders,” Ehert said.

He said the slayings appeared to fall under a special-circumstances rule, which would mean that Blaney could be sentenced to death if convicted.

Blaney was arrested in Chino Valley, a small community north of Prescott, after Santa Ana police notified authorities that his mother lived there.

Blaney’s attorney, John Perry, said that Blaney was illegally arrested because an arrest warrant had not been issued in Orange County at the time Blaney was taken into custody in Chino Valley.

Ehert said authorities now would seek a formal extradition warrant that would be sent to Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham. He said he expected the extradition proceedings to take about a month.

Blaney was ordered held in the Yavapai County Jail pending extradition.