06 February 2017 :

Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick H. Donahue sentenced Steven Dean Gordon to death. In so doing he upheld a December 21, 2016 recommendation of a jury. Gordon, 48, White, was convicted of raping, kidnapping and killing Kiana Jackson, Josephine Vargas, Martha Anaya and Jarrae Estepp. Throughout his trial, Gordon represented himself and said he deserved the death penalty. "I am sorry for everything, but those are hallow words compared to what those women went through," he said. During his trial, prosecutors said the women worked as prostitutes in Santa Ana and Anaheim when Gordon and his suspected accomplice, Franc Cano, picked them up in 2014 and murdered them. Both men are registered sex offenders. Of all the victims, only Estepp's body was found. The discovery led to multiple clues tying Gordon and Cano to the other killings. Cano is awaiting his own trial and prosecutors announced they will also seek the death penalty against him.