March 21, 2007

Man Charged in 34-Year-Old Murder

LOS ANGELES – A man currently serving a state prison term has been charged with the 34-year-old murder of an elderly widow who was beaten to death during a burglary at her South Los Angeles home.

Deputy District Attorney Alisanne Scolnik said Jesse Clifton Wimberly Jr., 53 (dob 10-9-1953), is expected to be transferred from prison in San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles on April 6. Arraignment will be sometime that week in Division 30 of Los Angeles Superior Court.

Wimberly was 19 on Feb. 10, 1973, when 86-year-old Anna Lockner was beaten by two men who broke down the front door of her residence in the 760 block of West 99th Street. They ransacked the home and severely beat the elderly woman, taking $15 from her and leaving her incapacitated. A neighbor saw her open front door the next morning and called police, who found the victim still alive.

Lockner died from her injuries at the hospital several hours after the predawn attack. She was able to tell police about her attackers, however, saying two men kicked in her door. She said they took the $15 from underclothing.

Fingerprints were recovered at the scene. At the time, however, law enforcement did not have the computerized technology available and could not identify them. The case went to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Cold Case Unit, which submitted those prints along with other prints from about 75 unsolved murder cases to the LAPD’s Scientific Investigation Division (SID).

The prints were run through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and Wimberly was identified as a suspect. A second man believed to have been with him when the Lockner’s murder occurred was himself killed a few years ago, Scolnik said.

Scolnick charged Wimberly with one count of murder in case No. BA318948.