‘OK, I Did It!’ Blurts Murder Suspect

It was a short distance to the police station but long enough for an unorthodox murder confession.

Detectives seeking the killer of a 43-year-old woman stabbed in Garden Grove got an unexpected break this week while driving Michael Justin Stires to headquarters for questioning.

Midway through the two-mile drive, police said, Stires, 23, suddenly blurted out, “OK, I did it!” He continued by giving details of the Dec. 1 slaying that only the killer would know, police said Wednesday.

“It was pretty wild,” Garden Grove Police Capt. Dave Abrecht said. “You don’t see this very often. The investigator was a little shocked.”

Stires, who was arrested Tuesday evening, is accused of killing Jackie Ann Waycaster. Police discovered Waycaster’s partially clothed body behind the Northern Lights Sports Bar on Lampson Avenue and Haster Street.

She had been sexually assaulted, beaten and stabbed, police said. Stires, a regular at the Garden Grove bar, was seen talking to Waycaster the night of the attack, police said.

Waycaster’s younger sister, Denise Holden, said the arrest has helped her cope with the loss.

“It ends a lot of frustration, a lot of anguish,” Holden said.

Meanwhile, investigators are awaiting the results of DNA tests to determine whether forensic evidence links Stires to the killing.

Stires was booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of murder, rape and robbery. He is expected to be arraigned today.

Stires, who worked part time installing doors, was convicted last year of damaging property, police said. He was sentenced to 20 days in jail for that offense.