A homeless man accused of randomly stabbing an elderly woman in the neck on a Downtown Los Angeles street was on parole for a previous killing.
Kenneth Gibson, 39, entered a plea of not guilty to the attempted murder of 70-year-old Riffat Sultana Kazmi on Tuesday morning.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman condemned the attack on Kazmi, calling it a “senseless” and “heinous crime” that has left her in critical condition in the hospital.
“This was a random and vicious attack on an innocent woman who was doing nothing wrong,” Hochman stated.
Gibson had been previously identified in a law enforcement bulletin as a suspect in the May 23 killing of a homeless man at a Downtown encampment on the Eighth Street on-ramp to the 110 Freeway, according to law enforcement sources.
The bulletin also noted that Gibson had an outstanding parole warrant.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the victim in the homeless encampment as 48-year-old Byron Fuentes, according to a CBS-LA report.
Medical records indicated Fuentes died from blunt-force head trauma.
Fuentes’ family, as reported by CBS LA, stated that he had become homeless due to drug addiction.
“Byron was a man full of compassion,” his family wrote in a statement. “His heart was pure and full of love.”
Gibson has a lengthy criminal record, with court records showing nine felony convictions since 2014, including charges of assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, robbery, narcotics, and weapons offenses.
Gibson now faces a charge of willful, deliberate, and premeditated attempted murder for allegedly stabbing Kazmi near Grand Hope Park, situated less than a half-mile from where Fuentes’ body was discovered nearly a year earlier.
During a hearing before Judge Theresa McGonigle at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Gibson pled not guilty to the charge on Friday. The judge approved the prosecutors’ request to set bail at $2,750,000.
Gibson is confronting a total of five charges related to the stabbing, including the use of a deadly and dangerous weapon in the commission of the crime. Another hearing is scheduled for April 16.
According to police, Gibson launched an unprovoked attack on Kazmi on Tuesday on Hope Street near Olympic Boulevard around 10:15 a.m.
Court documents describe Kazmi, at least 70 years old, as walking along the street when Gibson passed by in the opposite direction. Suddenly, he turned and stabbed her without warning, police said.
Kazmi was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent surgery on Tuesday afternoon. Police reported that she was in critical condition.
A physician’s assistant who happened to be nearby at the time of the attack quickly responded and applied pressure to Kazmi’s neck to stop the bleeding, which “assisted in saving the victim’s life,” said LAPD Central Division Lt. James Mankey.
Hochman commented that the alleged stabbing by Gibson instilled fear in the heart of the city.
“This kind of violence doesn’t just hurt the victim; it shakes our entire community,” Hochman remarked. “Everyone should feel safe walking the streets of Los Angeles.”
Gibson appeared in yellow jail attire during Friday’s hearing.
He remains in custody while awaiting trial.
