Man arrested in connection with two separate Palm Springs murders
Authorities announced a suspect has been arrested for two murders that took place months apart in Palm Springs.
Luis Miguel Flores Cantor, 31, was arrested in connection with the killings of Jennifer Dillon, 59, and Joseph Rajczi, 80. Authorities said both murders took place during burglaries at the victims' homes.
Authorities said Cantor was already in custody on a separate charge of resisting arrest. He was arrested on August 25 after he was found passed out in a vehicle on Caliente Drive.
District Attorney Mike Hestrin said Cantor will also be charged with two counts of homicide, two added special circumstances charges which include one count for murder while burglary and one count of multiple murders.
Evidence discovered at both murder scenes linked Cantor to the crimes, authorities said. There were no specifics on the crimes, police said Cantor did not have any known links to Dillon or Rajczi.
A possible motive for the crimes has not been established.
Dillon was found dead inside her home on January 25, 2021.
More Coverage: Jenny Dillon’s wife reacts to the arrest
"There was blood; I could see some blood and she wasn't moving," said Annette Baine, her neighbor. "Her arm was kind of twisted weird."
Dillon’s death was initially not investigated as a homicide.
"I'm listening to the coroner tell me that, 'Jenny, was she ill? Did she have heart problems? It looks like she passed out. Maybe she had a heart attack. Something happened; she fell and it killed her,'" said Athena Kelly, Dillon’s wife. "There’s no way in the world anyone a normal person wouldn't see that the house was ransacked. My home was torn apart."
Rajczi, a holocaust survivor and local business owner, was found dead in a home on Via Colusa near Hermosa Drive on July 30, 2021.
At first, Rajczi’s death was initially investigated as an “unattended death” however after a few days it turned into a homicide investigation.
"It's very disconcerting, it's very scary to know that something like this is happening in the neighborhood," Richard Khanbegian, a neighbor, told News Channel 3
A search of court records involving Cantor showed that prior to his arrest last month, Cantor has been arrested at least 14 times in Riverside County.
His first arrest on record was in July 2013 with his last arrest prior to this latest murder arrest was in November 2020, for controlled substances.
Over the past 8 years, Cantor has been charged: Receiving stolen property, petty theft and fraud, burglary, shoplifting, have a false ID, Trespassing, Receiving stolen property and vehicles, Possession of controlled substances, possession of burglary tools, and car theft.
He was convicted for many of these crimes, some are still pending outcome.
Cantor is scheduled to be arraigned on murder charges on Thursday.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage of this case.
