A 63-year-old woman killed during a triple stabbing in the Ione area of Amador County on Monday has been identified by the coroner’s office as Lori Louise Owens, as police revealed new details from their investigation and about the man accused in the attacks. Owens was a resident of Ione, officials said. A Pacific Gas and Electric Co. worker on the job and another man were hospitalized after also being stabbed in three separate locations as part of what Ione’s police chief called random acts of violence. Ione police chief shares new details about the attacks and victims The first victim was a man in his mid-20s who was found on Violet Lane and is now in stable condition at a Sacramento hospital and receiving treatment, Ione police Chief John Alfred said on Tuesday. Watch Ione police chief’s full press conference here.The PG&E worker was the second person who was stabbed and was treated and released from the hospital, Alfred said. He was attacked between Violet and Shakeley Lane.The third victim, who has since been identified as Owens, was stabbed on Shakeley Lane. Her family is now trying to raise funds to help with memorial expenses.All of the victims suffered multiple stab wounds, and two of the attacks happened inside residences and one outside of one, Alfred said. A knife was recovered from the crime scene. He said it wasn’t clear yet if the suspect had broken into the homes. Man accused in the attack had been released to a state psychiatric hospital after his release from prison. Alfred said officers arrested 34-year-old Joseph Stephens Jenkins in connection with the stabbings, and he is being held on no bail. Alfred said Jenkins is a homeless person who was recently released from state prison and was on parole.On Tuesday, Alfred said Jenkins had been on parole stemming from a 2011 attempted murder case in Ione. That was a correction from an earlier misstatement Alfred said he made in calling it a murder case. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Jenkins had been sentenced to 14 years for attempted murder as a second striker. He previously served time for battery with a serious injury. Alfred said that after speaking to Jenkins’ parole agent, he learned that Jenkins had been released from prison in February and sent to Atascadero State Prison, which is a psychiatric hospital in San Luis Obispo County.CDCR confirmed that Jenkins had been paroled to a state hospital on Feb. 18, 2023, and said he was released from the Department of State Hospitals on June 30 to Orange County to face two misdemeanor charges stemming from December 2012.In Orange County, he pleaded guilty to assault and battery of a peace officer or emergency personnel.He was sentenced to eight days in county jail and given credit for time served, then reported to the Division of Adult Parole Operations on July 6, CDCR said. After his release, Jenkins came to Ione, according to the police chief. There had been two service calls to police about him until this week’s attack, Alfred said. One call for service was in early September and the other was last Friday. Neither call involved violence and investigators didn’t see a need to detain him, Alfred said. Police chief responds after Ione residents shared past concerns about JenkinsSeveral Ione residents told KCRA 3 that they had seen Jenkins in the community before and that they had been concerned by his behavior. Helena Rice-Padilla, a mother of three young children, said she often takes her kids to the park near the police station, but for weeks, she saw Jenkins at the park acting strange.“I’ve noticed this man for at least two months,” Rice-Padilla said. “Over the past two months, I have made multiple reports to the Ione PD about the suspect.”Rice-Padilla said each time she called authorities or filed a report, she felt that Ione police did not fully listen to her concerns.”Unfortunately, it’s not illegal for someone to sit in a park and watch people,” Alfred said. Alfred asked anyone with information about the stabbing case to contact police. Lori Louise Owens’ family calls for investigation into ‘failed justice system’Meanwhile, a representative of Owens’ family, demanded an investigation into Jenkins’ release and the state’s supervision of him. “Lori was a grandmother, a mother, a wife, a sister and a friend to many who loved her,” James Gruggs said in reading a statement. “She was stolen from us because of the negligence and incompetence of a failed justice system.”He said Owens’ family wanted to make sure the tragedy could be used to save others’ lives. Gruggs said accountability for Jenkins’ release extended to California’s attorney general and governor’s “failed policies.”
A 63-year-old woman killed during a triple stabbing in the Ione area of Amador County on Monday has been identified by the coroner’s office as Lori Louise Owens, as police revealed new details from their investigation and about the man accused in the attacks.
Owens was a resident of Ione, officials said. A Pacific Gas and Electric Co. worker on the job and another man were hospitalized after also being stabbed in three separate locations as part of what Ione’s police chief called random acts of violence.
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Ione police chief shares new details about the attacks and victims
The first victim was a man in his mid-20s who was found on Violet Lane and is now in stable condition at a Sacramento hospital and receiving treatment, Ione police Chief John Alfred said on Tuesday.
Watch Ione police chief’s full press conference here.
The PG&E worker was the second person who was stabbed and was treated and released from the hospital, Alfred said. He was attacked between Violet and Shakeley Lane.
The third victim, who has since been identified as Owens, was stabbed on Shakeley Lane. Her family is now trying to raise funds to help with memorial expenses.
All of the victims suffered multiple stab wounds, and two of the attacks happened inside residences and one outside of one, Alfred said. A knife was recovered from the crime scene.
He said it wasn’t clear yet if the suspect had broken into the homes.
Man accused in the attack had been released to a state psychiatric hospital after his release from prison.
Alfred said officers arrested 34-year-old Joseph Stephens Jenkins in connection with the stabbings, and he is being held on no bail. Alfred said Jenkins is a homeless person who was recently released from state prison and was on parole.
On Tuesday, Alfred said Jenkins had been on parole stemming from a 2011 attempted murder case in Ione. That was a correction from an earlier misstatement Alfred said he made in calling it a murder case.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Jenkins had been sentenced to 14 years for attempted murder as a second striker. He previously served time for battery with a serious injury.
Alfred said that after speaking to Jenkins’ parole agent, he learned that Jenkins had been released from prison in February and sent to Atascadero State Prison, which is a psychiatric hospital in San Luis Obispo County.
CDCR confirmed that Jenkins had been paroled to a state hospital on Feb. 18, 2023, and said he was released from the Department of State Hospitals on June 30 to Orange County to face two misdemeanor charges stemming from December 2012.
In Orange County, he pleaded guilty to assault and battery of a peace officer or emergency personnel.
He was sentenced to eight days in county jail and given credit for time served, then reported to the Division of Adult Parole Operations on July 6, CDCR said.
After his release, Jenkins came to Ione, according to the police chief. There had been two service calls to police about him until this week’s attack, Alfred said. One call for service was in early September and the other was last Friday. Neither call involved violence and investigators didn’t see a need to detain him, Alfred said.
Police chief responds after Ione residents shared past concerns about Jenkins
Several Ione residents told KCRA 3 that they had seen Jenkins in the community before and that they had been concerned by his behavior.
Helena Rice-Padilla, a mother of three young children, said she often takes her kids to the park near the police station, but for weeks, she saw Jenkins at the park acting strange.
“I’ve noticed this man for at least two months,” Rice-Padilla said. “Over the past two months, I have made multiple reports to the Ione PD about the suspect.”
Rice-Padilla said each time she called authorities or filed a report, she felt that Ione police did not fully listen to her concerns.
“Unfortunately, it’s not illegal for someone to sit in a park and watch people,” Alfred said.
Alfred asked anyone with information about the stabbing case to contact police.
Lori Louise Owens’ family calls for investigation into ‘failed justice system’
Meanwhile, a representative of Owens’ family, demanded an investigation into Jenkins’ release and the state’s supervision of him.
“Lori was a grandmother, a mother, a wife, a sister and a friend to many who loved her,” James Gruggs said in reading a statement. “She was stolen from us because of the negligence and incompetence of a failed justice system.”
He said Owens’ family wanted to make sure the tragedy could be used to save others’ lives.
Gruggs said accountability for Jenkins’ release extended to California’s attorney general and governor’s “failed policies.”
