SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man extradited from Oregon to Orange County is scheduled to be arraigned for the murder of a Huntington Beach woman. Jason Joseph Becher, 41, Anaheim, is charged with one felony count of special circumstances murder with sentencing enhancements for lying in wait and a prior strike conviction for assault with a deadly weapon in 2001 in Orange County. If convicted, he faces a minimum of life in state prison without the possibility of parole. Becher is scheduled to be arraigned today, Dec. 16, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana.

Prior to Dec. 2, 2016, Becher is accused of having been in a dating relationship with the victim, 50-year-old Marylou Sarkissian. The victim had a restraining order against the defendant at the time of the crime.

In the early morning hours of Dec. 2, 2016, Becher is accused of going to the victim's residence in Huntington Beach after he had gone out for drinks with an acquaintance the night before. The defendant is accused of beating and strangling Sarkissian to death. Becher is accused of then fleeing the scene.

On the afternoon of Dec. 2, 2016, an individual contacted the Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD), who investigated this case, with information and requested a welfare check on the victim. HBPD officers responded to the residence and found Sarkissian deceased in the residence. An arrest warrant for Becher was obtained by HBPD.

Becher was arrested by Grants Pass Department of Public Safety in Grants Pass, Oregon on Dec. 3, 2016. HBPD, the Orange County District Attorney's Office (OCDA) Special Prosecutions Unit, and the Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) Extraditions Unit pursued the defendant's extradition so that he could be transported to Orange County to face charges.

The majority of extradition cases involve homicide, sexual assault, gangs, major fraud, and child abduction. OCDA partners with local law enforcement, as well as Interpol, the FBI, US Marshals, State Department, Department of Justice, and Homeland Security, in a continuous effort to prosecute fugitives, protect the public, and seek justice for victims. We would like to thank our law enforcement partners at HBPD, OCSD, and in Oregon for their assistance in this case.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Keith Burke of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.

Orange County District Attorney / Case # 16WF2885 / December 16, 2016