63-year-old man sentenced for murder at El Monte motel in 1978
A 63-year-old man who avoided arrest connected to a 1978 murder for more than four decades was sentenced on Monday.
According to Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Sarika Kim, Anthony Davis, 63, was sentenced to seven years to life in state prison for the Jan. 7, 1978 murder of Rudolfo Chavez, 42, who was found dead at the Spic and Span motel in El Monte.
He was sentenced under guidelines that were in place at the time of the murder.
Chavez was found naked by a motel employee the next day. Investigators say that he were stabbed 45 times, and that they believed some sort of sexual activity had occurred before he was killed.
During the course of the investigation, utilizing new DNA evidence techniques, investigators were able to link the crime to Davis due to semen found on a bedspread, which also contained the victim's blood, and a fingerprint inside of the motel room door, despite adamant denial from Davis that they had ever been at the motel.
Davis was arrested in February 2021.
After his arrest, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón released a statement which said:
"For more than 40 years, justice has eluded the victim's family for this brutal murder," District Attorney George Gascón said. "I commend the unwavering resolve and the tenacious work put in by sheriff's detectives and attorneys in the Cold Case Unit to bring some relief to those who have had to endure this tragedy."
