Garden Grove man charged with beating, stabbing his mother to death
A 28-year-old Garden Grove man was charged with murder on Monday, with prosecutors accusing him of beating, bludgeoning and stabbing his mother to death.
Police say Jonathan Michael Warner admitted to killing his mother when he was taken into custody on Thursday, two days after 62-year-old Vivian Wolff was found dead in a condominium the two shared in the 14000 block of Flower Street.
Prosecutors say that Warner left her body under a comforter in her bedroom. Friends who were concerned that Wolff wasn’t returning calls discovered her body after checking on her.
Coroner’s office officials estimated that Wolff was killed 24 hours before her body was found. Authorities have not released a suspected motive.
Warner was quickly named by police as a person of interest in the killing. A resident spotted him on Thursday near 9th and College streets and notified officers.
When officers made contact with Warner, police said, he assaulted an officer and tried to flee on foot.
Warner was being held without bail, Orange County sheriff’s records show. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.