Man deemed ‘every woman’s nightmare’ charged in 1991 cold case killing

A Ventura County judge minced no words in 1997 as he sentenced Silverio Ambriz to 47 years to life in state prison: “Mr. Ambriz is every woman’s nightmare,” the judge said.

In that case, Ambriz was convicted of attacking four women and raping the fourth in an orchard, even ripping out her earring to keep as a souvenir.

The nightmare, however, may have worsened.

Ventura County sheriff’s investigators now say they have tied Ambriz to the 1991 slaying of Angela Fisher, a 22-year-old whose body was found next to her smoldering Toyota Celica in the Oxnard Plains.

Since her death, investigators pursued all leads to identify the suspect that killed Fisher, who was sexually assaulted and beaten with a piece of concrete. But the case grew cold.

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In 2002, investigators submitted DNA evidence from Fisher’s body into the FBI’s database and found a match in Ambriz, who was behind bars at the time.

Detectives restarted their investigation and “eventually developed evidence that showed Ambriz was responsible” for Fisher’s death, sheriff’s officials said.

This spring, Ambriz was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, sodomy, arson and forcible rape, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Ambriz, now 49, is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 13.

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