Jailed Gang Member Arrested in Slaying

A 22-year-old Oxnard gang member was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder in the slaying of an Oxnard woman whose strangled body was found dumped in the breezeway of a Saviers Road motel earlier this month.

Ventura County prosecutors are expected to file criminal charges today against Salvador Sumaran, who is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court for arraignment Thursday afternoon.

Authorities said that for the last week, Sumaran has been the prime suspect in the slaying of 20-year-old Janet Williams, the mother of a 3-year-old boy.

Williams disappeared on the night of Sept. 10 after leaving the Oxnard home she shared with her mother, grandmother and sister. Relatives said she was going to a party with friends and was expected home by 9 p.m.

But the next day, her beaten and strangled body was found outside a room of the Ros-eda Motel in Oxnard. Police said the room was registered to Sumaran.

He was arrested Tuesday at the Ventura County main jail, where he has been held on a parole violation since the slaying. Court records show Sumaran has a lengthy history of drug use, vandalism and theft. He is described as an Oxnard gang member.

Earlier this year, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department sought the public’s help in locating Sumaran for a probation violation after he was convicted of drug possession and being under the influence of drugs.