OC Man Convicted In 2015 Murder Of Escort At Newport Beach Office

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — A 36-year-old man was convicted Wednesday of the second degree murder of a 23-year-old escort in a Newport Beach office seven years ago, according to multiple reports.

Hernandez is schedule to be sentenced by Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard King at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana on Oct. 7, the Daily Pilot reported.

Jurors, who were given the option to consider voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter, deliberated for about two days before reaching a verdict.

He faces a maximum of 15 years to life, the newspaper reported.

Hernandez was arrested Dec. 30, 2015 in connection with the death of Sarai Alcaraz of Long Beach.

Alcaraz was working as an escort and went to meet Hernandez at the building at 5030 Campus Drive, according to Jennifer Manzella of the Newport Beach Police Department.

Alcaraz worked for Cyren Entertainment in Fullerton, which bills itself as an "adult entertainment agency" that provides "entertainers" for various types of parties and events, according to a law enforcement source.

Police were called just after midnight to an architectural firm's offices when an escort service reported one of its employees missing, according to a trial brief filed by Deputy District Attorney Robert Goodkin.

When officers arrived they encountered Jordan Beltran, a driver for Cyren Entertainment. He said he drove Alcaraz to the office at 10 p.m. and walked her to the door, but ducked around the corner because the client asked her to arrive without a chaperone, Goodkin said.

Once Alcaraz was in the office she texted him at 10:29 p.m. saying she got the money and was coming out, Goodkin said.

While waiting for her to emerge, Beltran said he saw a man leave the business, so he approached him, but he appeared nervous and returned into the office building and locked the door, Goodkin said.

The man, Hernandez, exited again and locked the door behind him, and when Beltran confronted him about Alcaraz's whereabouts, Hernandez said she robbed him and he didn't know where she was, Goodkin said.

When Beltran pressed him on where she was Hernandez got "very nervous" and left in a white minivan and drove away, Goodkin said. When Beltran could not contact Alcaraz on the phone he called the escort service.

About 30 minutes later, Beltran said he saw Hernandez return in the minivan, and when he asked him again about the victim, Hernandez said he saw her hiding in some bushes nearby before the defendant fled, Goodkin said.

The escort service then called police. Police found the victim stuffed in a trash can in a supply closet. Hernandez worked there as a janitor, Goodkin said.

City News Service and Patch editor Paige Austin contributed to this report.