Orange County serial killer sentenced to life in prison after admitting to four murders
A serial sex offender who killed four Orange County women was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday.
Franc Cano, 36, was arrested back in April 2014 for his connection to the kidnapping, rape and murder of the four women that occurred in 2013 and 2014.
He was sentenced to life and prison without the possibility of parole, though prosecutors initially sought the death penalty when trial started.
After his defense team reveled "mitigating factors" during trial, prosecutors dropped their search for capital punishment. Cano then pled guilty on Thursday.
"Without a doubt there was no quid pro quo," said Chuck Hasse, the Orange County Public Defender's Office attorney representing Cano. He said that the fact that his client was "remorseful" was "part of my pitch" when he pleaded with prosecutors to reconsider seeking the death penalty.
While in court, Cano apologized to the families of the victims affected by his crimes.
"To the families here today ... I am deeply remorseful for the wounds I have caused you," he said. "These four women were ... loved, and instead of helping I have destroyed lives. Instead of saving lives I was a coward. ... Today, I, Franc Cano, take responsibility for my actions. ... I really hope today's sentence brings justice and closure."
He admitted to killing Josephine Vargas, 34, and Kianna Jackson, 20, in 2013 and Martha Anaya, 28, and Jarrae Nykkole Estepp, 21, in 2014. Authorities stated that all four of the women were working as prostitutes.
Steven Dean Gordon, 53, a co-defendant of Cano's in the case, was convicted of the same killings in 2016 and sentenced to death in 2017.
He acted as his own attorney during his trial, ultimately conceding that he deserved the death penalty for the killings.
Anaheim police also reported identifying a fifth victim of the pair, 19-year-old Compton resident Sable Pickett, though neither was ever charged.
To this day, authorities have been unable to locate the bodies of Vargas, Jackson and Anaya. The discovery of Estepp's body led detectives to a number of clues that connected Cano and Gordon to the other murders.
Prosecutors relied on DNA evidence and data retrieved from GPS-tracking devices that both men were wearing, due to prior sex offenses. The fact that the two were able to socialize, which violates their terms of release, caused widespread criticism of probation officials in the area. The two are also said to have cut their GPS devices off and fled from California at one point.
Orange County District Attorney Tod Spitzer said that his decision to drop the death penalty came about for a number of factors, including input from victim's families who said that life in prison was an acceptable option, and the fact that Gordon's case is currently undergoing appeal.
Hasse said that Cano was born into a "close-knit working class" family in Compton. He noted that he was Roman Catholic, then Jehovah's Witness before reverting back to Catholicism.
"He was born and raised to be a follower" of others, Hasse said, noting that Gordon was the opposite — born into a "spoiled" upbringing, the "alpha dog" in their relationship and a "master at gaslighting and manipulation."
He claims that Gordon easily manipulated Cano until they were involved in a romantic relationship.
Hasse argued that the death penalty was more fitting for Gordon's case, as he was the "leader," rather than the "follower."
Cano, who Hasse described as "soft spoken," "quiet" and "sickly," was convicted of molesting his niece in 2007, while Gordon was convicted of rape of a relative for several years, as well as kidnapping his wife and daughter.
The two formed a relationship when Gordon came to Cano's defense when he was being bullied, ultimately becoming his "protector."
Both men had previously pled not guilty to the offenses in 2014.
