Man charged in slaying of ex-girlfriend in H.B. pleads not guilty
A 41-year-old Anaheim man pleaded not guilty Friday to murdering his former girlfriend, a Huntington Beach mother of three, by beating and strangling her in her home.
Jason Joseph Becher also denied a special-circumstances sentencing enhancement of lying in wait, according to Orange County Superior Court records.
If convicted, Becher would face a minimum of life in state prison without the possibility of parole, according to the county district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors allege that Becher beat and strangled 50-year-old Marylou Sarkissian to death after he entered her house in the 9000 block of Litchfield Drive in the early morning of Dec. 2. Prosecutors said he had gone out for drinks with an acquaintance the night before.
Sarkissian’s body was found that afternoon when police did a welfare check at the home.
Becher was arrested the next day in Grants Pass, Ore., and was extradited to Orange County this week.
Becher, who jail records indicate is a moving-company employee, and Sarkissian, a hospital sales representative, had dated on and off for the past five years, according to court documents and Sarkissian’s sister, Debra Zdrazil.
Sarkissian often would speak about her tumultuous relationship with Becher during appointments at Addicted to Hair, a salon in Newport Beach that she would visit every few weeks for extensions, haircuts and coloring, according to Ashley Baez, who worked at the salon as a receptionist.
Baez said Sarkissian told her Becher harassed her by phone and showed up at her house uninvited. A few times, Sarkissian came in with bruises on her arms and extensions ripped out of her hair, Baez said.
Sarkissian said a few months ago that she called police after Becher tried to strangle her with a towel, Baez said.
Becher has been previously incarcerated for violent crimes, and Zdrazil was granted a restraining order against him in September, court records show. Sarkissian also had a restraining order against Becher, according to the district attorney’s office. It was not immediately clear how long the restraining order had been in place.
According to court records, Becher pleaded guilty in 2001 to four counts of corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, assault with a deadly weapon or force likely to produce great bodily injury, false imprisonment and possession of marijuana for sale, all felony charges that originated in 1999.
He also pleaded guilty to making criminal threats, a misdemeanor.
He was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison, according to court records. It wasn’t clear how long he served.
In a separate case, Becher pleaded guilty in 2005 to inflicting corporal injury and to unlawful taking of a vehicle, both felonies. He was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison, court records show. It also wasn’t clear how long he served in that case.
Becher is due back in court for a pretrial hearing Dec. 23.
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
