California man sentenced for killing 77-year-old woman with belt claims he was on LSD

ARROYO GRAND, Calif. (TCD) -- A 21-year-old man will spend 25 years to life behind bars in connection with the 2020 death of a 77-year-old woman whose body was found in her home.

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Down announced Kayonie Mendibles' sentencing on Jan. 10. He previously pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Marion Vore on Oct. 30.

According to the initial press release from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, on Nov. 27, 2020, shortly after 5 p.m., deputies responded to a report of trespassing in the 2000 block of Chamisal Lane. Deputies performed a welfare check at a home nearby and found Vore deceased inside from an apparent homicide.

According to KSBY-TV, Mendibles, who was 18 years old at the time, reportedly killed Vore using a belt.

The sheriff's office issued a "be on the lookout" (BOLO) alert for Mendibles after he fled the scene in a car. Deputies located the suspect shortly before 10 p.m. in Pismo Beach and arrested him on a charge of murder.

KSBY reports that Mendibles provided a statement before his sentencing, claiming he was on LSD during Vore's slaying, and he apologized to her family.

Vore's daughter also reportedly spoke in court, stating, "Even three years past her death, I receive phone calls on her birthday from around the world from her friends who are trying to grasp that she will never answer again."

MORE:

• Kayonie Eliaz Mendibles Sentenced to 25 Years to Life for First Degree Murder - San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office
• Fresno man sentenced to life in prison for Arroyo Grande woman's murder - KSBY
• Kayonie Eliaz Mendibles Pleads Guilty to First Degree Murder, Faces Life in Prison, 10/30/2023 - San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office
• Suspicious Death Update- Homicide Investigation, 11/28/2020 - San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office