Jason Balcom sentenced to death for 1988 Rape and Murder
On Friday, February 7th, 2014, Jason Michael Balcom was sentenced to death. The sentence, handed down by
Judge Francisco Briseno with the
OC Superior Court, was for the rape and murder of Malinda Gibbons. The county criminal court is across the street from
Santa Ana Bail Bonds. The 22 year old was stabbed and strangled by Balcom in July, 1988. Gibbons was recently married, and her body was discovered by her husband, Kent Gibbons. The victim had been tied up and bound with neckties. Investigators stated she had been sexually assaulted. The crime happened in
Costa Mesa, California.
When the murder happened 25 years ago, Jason Balcom was living in a motel room in Costa Mesa with his Aunt
and Mom. He was 18 at the time. The motel where he was staying was only a mile from the crime scene. Balcom
had just gotten out of juvenile hall.
It wasn't until 10 years later that detectives caught a break in the case. Balcom had been convicted of rape in Michigan, and his DNA had been entered into a nationwide database. In the Michigan case, Balcom had been
sentenced to 50 years. Balcom was then extradited to Orange County.
Balcom was convicted of 1st degree murder in 2012 by an Orange County jury. The inital jury could not come to an agreement on whether or not to sentence Balcom to death. In 2013, a 2nd jury recommended that Balcom receive the death penalty.
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