On the day of Christmas Eve, 2023, a woman in her early 60’s was brutally attacked and killed with a sledgehammer on the campus of El Camino College in Torrance, California.
The victim, identified as an Asian woman, was collecting recyclables when she was assaulted around 7:05 a.m. near the intersection of W. Redondo Beach Boulevard and Crenshaw Boulevard in Torrance.
Jeffery Davis, a 40-year-old man, has been arrested in connection with the attack.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported that Davis is currently being held without bail, awaiting arraignment on a murder charge scheduled for January 17, 2024. The El Camino College Police Department and Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau collaborated in the investigation leading to Davis’s arrest.
The victim was found by a passerby, bleeding from a head wound, with her dog faithfully by her side. Despite the swift arrival of paramedics and her subsequent transportation to a local hospital, she died from her injuries on Christmas Day.
Davis, believed to be homeless and previously known to campus police, was identified and located through surveillance footage. The motive behind the attack is still unclear, and the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner is tasked with determining the official cause of death.
Local residents expressed their shock and sadness, recalling the victim as a kind and familiar figure in the area.
As the investigation continues, authorities urge anyone with information about the incident to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.