After waiting nearly four decades, Ofelia Sandoval’s family got justice for her murder and sexual assault on Friday when they saw the man convicted of killing the mother of three sent to prison for the rest of his life.

In a Santa Maria courtroom, Aloysius Winthrop James, 59, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 1988 killing of Sandoval in Santa Maria. 

“This was an act of extreme violence committed during a sexual assault,” Judge Kristy Imel said, adding that she hoped the sentencing provided the family with a small sense of closure.

In late February, a Santa Barbara County Superior Court  jury found James guilty of first-degree murder, and determined that the killing occurred during a rape or attempted rape.

Sandoval, 30, was found dead inside a room at the Town Center Hotel on the 200 block of North Broadway on Sept. 18, 1988. The hotel was torn down after a fire in 2013.

Law enforcement officers connected James to the crime using DNA results they surreptitiously obtained after other suspects had been eliminated.

He was arrested in Georgia on April 16, 2024, and returned to Santa Maria.

Through the years, police officers revisited the investigation, but the defense criticized detectives’ initial efforts at solving the case.

As part of the sentencing hearing, Sandoval’s daughter and sister spoke about the loss of the woman killed.

“It is impossible to understand how someone can commit such a horrific act,” said Sandoval’s daughter, Maricela Sandoval Alfaro.

She had turned 11 years old days before her mother’s murder.

“I was just a little girl who desperately needed her mother,” Sandoval Alfaro said, adding that the murder left her with deep trauma and depression.

James’ action took Sandoval away from her daughter and two sons, who faced decades of milestones without their mother, including the births of their own children.

Meanwhile, James lived freely for more than three decades, she added. 

“I ask for justice for Ofelia Sandoval,” the daughter added. 

A granddaughter’s letter was read in court, saying about the grandmother she never met, “She can finally rest in peace.”

Margarita Vargas shared about the loss of her sister and appreciation for those involved in helping the family get justice.

“I’m really hoping for all this to come to an end so I can rest,” Vargas said, adding that the trial has stirred up memories of the loss.

Before hearing the victim’s impact statements, the judge denied defense attorney Robert Sanger’s motion for a new trial. 

Sanger argued that his client’s due process rights had been violated, noting the loss of a belt, possibly the murder weapon used for the strangulation.

He also contended that a delayed investigation and pre-trial rulings hampered the defense effort to present evidence about other possible suspects. 

“So you had a story that had a predictable ending,” Sanger said of the jury finding his client guilty.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Ann Bramsen opposed the motion for a new trial, contending nothing had changed since the judge ruled on pre-trial motions related to the same issues.

The judge said that granting the motion would require determining an error resulted in a miscarriage of justice. 

Imel also rejected the defense contentions that the prosecuting attorney had misstated the law and determined that no due-process violation occurred. 

“The evidence supporting the verdict was substantial,” Imel said, adding that the defense had not demonstrated a violation of due-process rights.

The trial included testimony from a number of active and retired Santa Maria police officers and other law enforcement members involved in the investigation over the years. 

On Friday, approximately two dozen family members and friends of Sandoval showed up for the sentencing hearing, along with several current and former members of the Santa Maria Police Department.

“Today marks the culmination of almost 38 years of work on the murder of Ofelia Sandoval and the beginning of some sense of closure for Ofelia’s family,” the District Attorney’s Office said. “Four generations of Ofelia’s family have supported this investigation and prosecution for decades.”

After the hearing, Imel remanded James to the custody of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office to be transported to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

James has remained in the Santa Barbara County Jail without bail since his return to the Central Coast following the arrest.