Sacramento mayor and councilwoman are ‘frustrated and angry’ after Land Park woman’s death
There were calls for “systemic change” from Sacramento elected leaders on Wednesday in response to the arrest of a man suspected of sexually assaulting and killing a 61-year-old woman inside her Land Park home.
Troy Davis, a 51-year-old transient with a criminal history that includes two felony strike convictions of assault with a deadly weapon and robbery, was released from jail on his own recognizance in June after his arrest in an auto theft case. He failed to appear in court for his arraignment on June 22.
Sacramento police detectives believe Davis broke into the home of Mary “Kate” Tibbitts on 11th Avenue last week, killed her dogs, sexually assaulted the woman and killed her before setting her home on fire. Davis was arrested over the weekend and has been criminally charged in Tibbitts’ death.
In a letter from Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela posted online Wednesday, they called the Land Park woman’s death a “senseless tragedy,” and said they’re “frustrated and angry” about the circumstances that led to her death.
“We cannot simply release people from jail onto the streets without working harder to ensure that they are getting the treatment and services they desperately need to prevent them from harming themselves or others,” the mayor and the councilwoman said in the letter. “Further, based on his criminal history, we have serious concerns about how this individual was released from custody in the first place. He should not have been on the street.”
News of Tibbitts’ death has left her neighbors shocked, wondering how anyone could’ve harmed such a nice person. Her coworkers have organized a public vigil to honor her. The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at Plaza Cervantes Park on 11th Avenue, just east of Freeport Boulevard in Sacramento.
Davis has felony convictions in Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties, and he was arrested in June in Sacramento in an auto theft case, court records say. He was later released from the Sacramento County Jail before appearing before a judge.
The mayor and the councilwoman said Davis had a known addiction to methamphetamine and a history of violent offenses.
They said they recognize that the jail and reentry services are the responsibility of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and the Probation Department, but they’re committed to working with county officials “to prevent another tragedy from happening in our community.”
Steinberg and Valenzuela said they spoke with County Supervisor Phil Serna, who is pushing for mandated treatment for people exiting the prison system with known meth addiction. They pledged to support Serna in those efforts, along with the continued funding of addiction assistance programs such as the Substance Use Respite and Engagement program in District 4.
“We also need to keep pushing for reentry services that ensure people exiting the jail have access to housing and supportive services, making it easier for us to check in on them and reduce the likelihood of further criminal activity,” the mayor and the councilwoman said.
Davis was arrested again late Saturday on suspicion of violating his parole before Sacramento police homicide detectives arrested him on suspicion of murder, arson, burglary and sex assault in Tibbitts’ death.
His criminal cases in Sacramento date back to 2013, including charges of resisting an officer, battery on an officer, possessing meth, threatening an officer, misdemeanor sexual battery and assault and battery.
A law enforcement source told The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday that Davis initially showed up in the Land Park neighborhood and was caught on a Ring doorbell camera masturbating on a neighbor’s porch.
Another neighbor, Susan Guerrero, said she called police late Thursday night to report a suspicious shirtless man with long dreadlocks who tried to get into her house and was standing outside in the same Land Park neighborhood where Tibbitts was murdered. She said police arrived and did not find the suspect before leaving. Tibbitts was found dead in her home the following morning.
Steinberg and Valenzuela said they will be working with county officials to review the facts of this homicide case “to ensure that people with a history of serious, violent offenses are not being released into our city with little review or accountability as to their whereabouts.”
“We mourn her death and the killing of her beloved dogs, Molly and Jenny,” the mayor and the councilwoman said. “We are thankful that first responders were dispatched quickly to her home when it was reported, and that the Sacramento Police Department has apprehended a suspect.”
This story was originally published September 8, 2021 at 12:37 PM.
