Man charged with fatally stabbing 84-year-old in Whittier area

A La Habra man was charged Wednesday with murdering an 84- year-old man at a home in the Whittier area last week, along with an attempted attack on another man the same day.

Kaszey Noel Encarnacion, 25, pleaded not guilty to one count each of murder and first-degree residential burglary with a person present in connection with the death of Rolland Alexander II, along with one count of attempted aggravated mayhem and first-degree residential burglary with a person present involving the second man.

Alexander’s body was discovered Aug. 29 in a house in the 15300 block of Goodhue Street, just west of the Whittier city limits in the unincorporated South Whittier area.

He died of multiple sharp force injuries, according to records from the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner.

Detectives believe the suspect also tried to attack an “elderly” man in the 15500 block of Fernview Street in Whittier, about four-tenths of a mile from Alexander’s home and a few minutes before the homicide, but fled when the man’s son intervened, Sheriff Robert Luna said last week.

At last week’s news conference, the sheriff displayed security video indicating the suspect had entered Alexander’s residence about 2:45 p.m. Aug 28.

“Based on the surveillance video, we believe the murder occurred on Aug. 28 at approximately 2:45 p.m.,” Luna said.

The sheriff said security images showed the Alexander’s vehicle – a silver Toyota RAV4 – being driven in Ontario around 3 a.m. Tuesday, and also showed it parked in Chino about three hours later.

A community member subsequently reported to Covina police a sighting of a man matching the description of the murder suspect, with Covina police responding and detaining Encarnacion, who had been reported missing last Wednesday by a family member, according to a statement released by the sheriff’s department.

Encarnacion was reunited with his family because there was not enough evidence to arrest him, but investigators determined there was sufficient evidence to arrest him after additional surveillance video evidence was recovered and a 24-hour surveillance of Encarnacion was launched, according to the sheriff’s department.

He has remained behind bars since his arrest Sunday, jail records show.

Source: NBC Los Angeles