A man accused of killing a woman at a downtown San Diego hotel where they were both staying must stand trial for murder, a judge ruled Thursday.
Jason Bradwell Lewis, 40, is accused in the death of 26-year-old Jhordann Reann Rust of Wisconsin. Her body was found in a communal bathroom area of the West Hotel by employees of the lodging house last Dec. 15.
Rust’s fiance, Cory Nowell, testified during a two-day preliminary hearing that he and Rust met in Denver last year and came to San Diego by bus, arriving Dec. 12.
“We wanted to start a new life, get on our feet,” Nowell said.
He said they consumed a few alcoholic beverages after checking into the hotel and then walked around the downtown area looking for marijuana. He kept blacking out, however, and was taken into custody by police.
Rust wasn’t in their room after he was released two nights later, but he noticed that the wallet he’d left with her had been searched, though all their money was there. He said he also spotted food packaging that hadn’t been there before, and didn’t know why it would be there if she hadn’t spent any of their money.
He said he also noticed that both room keys were on a table, meaning Rust couldn’t get back into her room.
San Diego police Sgt. Marc Jose testified that Lewis denied killing Jhordann. The defendant also denied having met her, but later admitted he’d been in her room because she’d locked herself out of her own, the sergeant said.
At a previous hearing, Deputy District Attorney Melissa Vasel said the victim called her mother in Wisconsin, and the mother heard a struggle and could tell her daughter was being attacked.
The mother called San Diego police, but officers could not locate Rust, according to the prosecutor.
On Dec. 15, just after midnight, employees of the hotel called 911 after discovering her body in a second-floor communal bathroom area, according to the prosecution. Vasel said Lewis’ fingerprint was found near where Rust’s body was found.
Inside a nearby trash can, officers found the boyfriend’s cell phone and a blood-stained mattress pad and some of the victim’s clothing, Vasel said.
A crime lab specialist testified that Lewis’ DNA was found near the victim’s groin, and her DNA was found on a sheet and bed leg.
After the preliminary hearing, Judge Kathleen Lewis found that enough evidence was presented for Lewis to stand trial.
Lewis — who has been to prison for residential burglary and battery with serious bodily injury — faces 56 years to life in prison if convicted. A Superior Court arraignment is scheduled for April 7.
–City News Service
