Sheriff's officials released Thursday the jail booking photo of Simon Cortez, who is suspected of murdering former Lake Elsinore Councilman George Gregory Alongi more than a year ago.
Cortez, who was charged with murder on Wednesday, is already in state prison on an unrelated charge serving a sentence of two years, eight months, according to sheriff's and district attorney officials. This attached booking photo is from his arrest last year on drug charges, Patch is told.
Cortez is scheduled to be arraigned on a murder charge, along with a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon -- a knife -- in the commission of a felony, on April 15 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
According to District Attorney officials, Cortez is the son of a Alongi's wife from a previous marriage.
"During the murder investigation by the sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit it was determined that Cortez and his stepfather had previously been involved in arguments together," DA Spokesman John Hall said. "Alongi had previously been convicted in several cases of domestic violence with his wife, the defendant’s mother, as the victim."
Alongi was found murdered in his Dollly Drive home on Feb. 15, 2013.
"A coroner’s autopsy revealed Alongi sustained numerous stab wounds and
lacerations – including an estimated dozen lacerations to his neck damaging both jugular veins and his airway -- as well as blunt force trauma," Hall said.
Read more on Cortez's arrest here.
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