Oxnard Police Department Cold Cases

OPD Case 81-20528 - The murder of Lisa Gondek

In December 1981, 21-year old Lisa Gondek's body was discovered by firefighters who had responded to a fire at an apartment in the 1200 block of West Gonzales Road. Gondek's murder is connected to the 1981 murder of Rachael Zendejas, in Camarillo. Gondek had recently relocated to Oxnard from Connecticut. She worked in Oxnard and had many friends.

In February 2023, after more than 41 years, Tony Garcia, an Oxnard resident, was arrested for both Lisa's and Rachael's murders. Genetic genealogy was one of several investigative techniques used to identify Garcia as the suspect. Garcia is in custody for these murders and is pending the court process.

Lenard Chester, who was convicted of the 1980 murder of Sarah Leah Bullis, is set to be sentenced on August 3, 2020 in Courtroom 48 at 8:30 a.m. I will update you after the sentencing.

Today, after almost 40 years, Sarah Leah Bullis received justice. Earlier this afternoon, it took a jury less than two hours to convict Lenard Len Chester for the special circumstance first degree murder of Bullis. She was r**ed and murdered on December 1, 1980. This conviction was the result of a team effort between the Oxnard Police Department, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, and the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. For information on Oxnard Police Department's Cold Case Homicides please visit:

www.coldcase.oxnardpd.org

SOLVED COLD CASE:

In 2003, Brian Brown was shot and killed in the 4200 block of Terrace Avenue. In 2015, Oxnard police detectives gathered enough evidence to charge David Acosta with Brown's murder. Acosta was serving a prison sentence when he was arrested. Acosta pled guilty to manslaughter with a firearm. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison.

In memoriam of the Oxnard Police Department Cold Case victims murdered in the month of December.

12/19/1971 Ricardo Candelaria
12/07/1979 Cecilia Hinahon G***r
12/01/1980 Sarah Leah Bullis
12/11/1981 Lisa Gondek
12/09/1991 Vidal Espinoza Romero
12/04/1992 Arturo Rameriz Heredia
12/04/1992 Rosendo Obiedo Vargas
12/10/1992 Vicente Martinez Montanez
12/09/1996 Gabriel Cortez
12/07/2001 Saul Hernandez Rojas
12/20/2003 Ricardo Veronica
12/28/2004 Adrian Ernest Burton
12/10/2005 Elizabeth Castro Renteria
12/26/2005 Ralph Ismael Delacerda