A man finally pleaded guilty to killing a homeless man in Santa Ana, in 1984

John William Zelinski, a 62-year-old man, pleaded guilty Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter for fatally stabbing a homeless man in Santa Ana in 1984, according to the O.C. Register.

Zelinski was originally looking at a murder charge and a sentencing enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon, but he accepted a plea deal from prosecutors.

Zelinski is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 21.

Zelinski  killed a man named Roy Thomas Emming on May 18, 1984, when he stabbed the victim in the back. The men were behind a county office building at the time. Zelinski fled from the murder scene, according to the prosecutors.

Zelinski was extradited last year from Arizona.

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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