2 Separate Palm Springs Killings Linked To Local Resident: Police

Palm Desert CA

08 September, 2021

5:39 PM

Description

PALM SPRINGS, CA — A man who was already behind bars for various alleged offenses is now facing murder charges, with authorities saying Wednesday that evidence linked him to a pair of killings that occurred six months apart earlier this year in Palm Springs. According to police and prosecutors, evidence discovered during the Aug. 25 arrest of Palm Springs resident Luis Flores Cantor, 31, on unrelated offenses connected him to the January death of Jennifer Dillon, 59, and the July killing of Joseph Rajczi, 80. District Attorney Mike Hestrin said Cantor was charged with two counts of murder, three counts of burglary and one count of assault on a person causing great bodily injury, all felonies. The charges include the special circumstance allegation of murder during commission of a felony and multiple murders. The allegations open Cantor to a possible death sentence, if the DA's Office opts to pursue it. Cantor was arrested in the 22000 block of Caliente Drive in Palm Springs when police found him unconscious in a car, authorities said. He allegedly tried to flee, injuring some officers in the process, but was captured. He was later found to be in possession of a stolen firearm and had multiple warrants for his arrest, police said. During the arrest, police found what they deemed "substantial evidence" linking him to Rajczi's death. This evidence, along with "multiple similarities" between Rajczi's and Dillon's deaths, led investigators to suspect Cantor of both killings. Officials declined to elaborate on the nature of the similarities. Dillon was discovered dead inside her home on the 2800 block of Davis Way in Palm Springs by a neighbor on Jan. 25. Police initially declared the death to be suspicious but did not declare it a homicide until days later, according to The Desert Sun. Rajczi was found dead by police on July 30, when they responded to an unattended death report on the 1100 block of east Via Colusa in Palm Springs. Officials did not declare his death to be a homicide until a week later. Rajczi was a Holocaust survivor and had recently retired. Cantor allegedly killed Dillon and Rajczi while in the midst of burglarizing their homes, according to the felony complaint filed Wednesday by the District Attorney's Office. Palm Springs police said there does not appear to be any link between the two victims and Cantor, and no potential motive was provided. Cantor is scheduled to appear at the Larson Justice Center in Indio on Thursday for an arraignment on the new charges. He is being held without bail at the Southwest Detention Center in Banning.