Adult Time for Adult Crime: Adam Sarabia

Posted November 2nd, 2009 at 3.57pm in Rule of Law.

On November 9th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments challenging the constitutionality of juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentences. In preparation for oral arguments, JLWOP: Faces & Cases will be an on-going series on The Foundry that will tell real stories about juvenile offenders who are currently serving LWOP sentences.

Defendant: Adam Sarabia (16)
Victims: John Ramirez and Joann Wotkyn
Crimes: Two counts of first degree murder, residential burglary and auto theft
Crime date: October 21, 2004 in Santa Paula, California

Summary
Adam Sarabia broke into a home and bludgeoned and stabbed a man and woman to death before stealing their car. He used their cell phone to brag to his friends about the crime.

Facts
John Ramirez and Joann Wotkyn, a couple in their 50s, were asleep in their bed in the early morning hours of October 21, 2004. They lived in a neat two-story house in the city of Santa Paula, California.

Adam Sarabia entered the home through an unlocked garage door. Armed with a baseball bat, he slipped into the sleeping couple’s bedroom and hit them repeatedly times with the bat, aiming for their heads and faces.

Sarabia then went downstairs to the kitchen, where he found a knife, and returned to the bedroom to stab and slash Ramirez and Wotkyn. He left the bedroom, walked downstairs, and took the car keys from Wotkyn’s purse. He drove off in the family car, cruising around town and showing the car off to friends before abandoning it at a shopping center after learning that the bodies had been discovered.

Sarabia also took the victims’ cell phone, which he used to call his friends.

When he was arrested, Sarabia was wearing a sweatshirt that had tiny blood spatters on the sleeves. The blood-stained baseball bat was found in Sarabia’s garage, and the cell phone and a pair of blood-spattered tennis shoes were found in his bedroom. The blood was a match for Ramirez and Wotkyn.

According to the prosecutor, Senior Deputy District Attorney Richard E. Simon, Sarabia showed no remorse for the violent murders:

Sarabia is a pure sociopath who committed two horrific murders against two innocent victims with whom he had no connection. His reaction to his crime was completely unremorseful and cold-blooded. The interview with Sarabia was chilling. He never admitted to the crime, nor did he deny it. He just didn’t seem to care. If I could have gone for the death penalty, I gladly would have. I believe Adam Sarabia is one of the most evil human beings I have ever prosecuted. He is a poster boy for life without possibility of parole for juvenile offenders.

Charles D. Stimson is Senior Legal Fellow and Andrew M. Grossman is Senior Legal Policy Analyst in the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation.

Author: Cully Stimson
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11 Comments

November 2, 2009 Freedom of Speech TX writes:

Thank you Heritage Foundation. Please continue to print these horror stories.

You will never run out of material. The number of cases nationally is staggering.

Let the psychologists, sociologists, and family advocacy groups try to figure out WHY these people commit these horrendous crimes.

Let the American public continue to get bombarded with these juvenile killings and rape stories.

All too often, unless one is intimate with one of these cases, it just goes away with most people.

Keep it front and center for all Heritage visitors to see. It may cause some to reevaluate where they stand as regards punishment for these “misunderstood youths”.

It’s a shame we can’t get the media to continually bombard the public on gangs and the horrendous crimes they commit. We need public outcry by millions or nothing happens.

November 2, 2009 Bobbie Jay writes:

Cruel animals die. Why discriminate?

November 3, 2009 Ozzy6900, CT writes:

People like Adam Sarabia should be executed no matter what their age. Adam Sarabia shows no remorse for the crime so how can the State expect to “rehabilitate” him? People like this should be removed put out of “Our” misery, not “tended” to for the rest of their lives with our money!

November 3, 2009 Joe , New jersey writes:

Ozzy6990 Could not agree with more ,exactly right.

November 3, 2009 John, Colorado writes:

If only the public would hear about the details of these crimes from the “lame stream media”.

November 3, 2009 Lynn B. DeSpain writes:

Does it matter the age of a rabid dog? will the fact that the dog is a puppy cure it of rabies? No. The only cure for rabies in an animal is death, no matter the age, and especially to keep them from infecting other innocent puppies.

November 3, 2009 Roy Callahan, Gainesville Floridaq writes:

Contrary to the opinion opined above, one of the reasons we have these problems is because we let the shrinks and scientific excuse makers run our lives. We’ve also allowed the politicians to take God out of the public square which demand adherence to a standard or morals and mores. We didn’t have these problems 30 years ago.

If you are old enough to do the crime, you are old enough to do the time. In this case, the perp ought to be old enough to fry.

Yours in the Bill of Rights

Roy G. Callahan, USN/Ret
Gainesville Florida 32606

November 3, 2009 ChuckL, NV writes:

There is a much easier solution. Guilty by reason of insanity. Confine in a high security mental institution until certified “CURED” by two independent psychiatrists. If the criminal repeats, execute the criminal and both psychiatrists.

I should expect that we would at least remove 6 or 8 psychiatrists from the world before they understand.

November 3, 2009 Mike Winsauer, Kingston, TN writes:

While such killings are a sad commentary on our society, Heritage does a great service by publishing these cases so people will be aware of what could happen to anyone. The police cannot protect us from these animals….we have to be prepared to protect and defend ourselves and ours.

Again, this murderer (its the right word no matter his age), should be made pay for the premeditated executions with his life. Once he is proven guilty, his execution should be swift and it should be publicized to let others of his ilk know there will be consequences for any such actions.

November 9, 2009 CA_Girl, California writes:

As a member of the family of John and JoAnn, it is hard to believe that this animal (no disrepect to the animal kingdom), even has the right to appeal. He should have been hung on the spot and not be costing taxpayers anything.

November 11, 2009 Dawn, Left CA after this writes:

I am the daughter of JoAnn & step daughter to John and I am stunned that the courts could even think about letting any of these people out. I dont care that Adam will never get out he doesn’t deserve to get out. I sat through every hearing and he showed no remorse at all, He was old enough to know better and what he did to our families and the many friends my mom and John had was devestating. It has been 7 years and it still feels like yesterday. I only wish he could have gotten the death penalty. It is my understanding that they are considering a case by case basis on the kids in prison serving life terms, in my opinion they should stay there and this way no one else will have to suffer at their hands.
There is no cure for monsters like Adam. Just read some of the articles on what he did to our parents.

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