A homeless man, accused of unexpectedly stabbing an elderly woman in the neck as she was peacefully strolling down a street in Downtown LA, was previously on parole for the murder of another individual.
Thirty-nine-year-old Kenneth Gibson entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of attempting to murder 70-year-old Riffat Sultana Kazmi during a court session on Tuesday morning.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman condemned the attack on Kazmi, describing it as a “senseless and heinous crime” that resulted in her being hospitalized in critical condition.
“This was an unprovoked and brutal assault on an innocent woman who was simply minding her own business,” Hochman stated.
Law enforcement sources have identified Gibson in a bulletin as a suspect involved in the fatal incident on May 23, where a homeless man was killed at an encampment near the Eighth Street on-ramp to the 110 Freeway.
The bulletin further indicated that Gibson was wanted on an outstanding parole warrant.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the victim in the homeless encampment as Byron Fuentes, 48, according to a report from CBS-LA.
Fuentes was killed by blunt-force head trauma, according to medical records.
Fuentes’ family said he became homeless because of a drug addiction, CBS LA reports.
“Byron was a man full of compassion,” Fuentes’ family wrote in a statement, according to CBS LA. “His heart was pure and full of love.”
Gibson has an extensive rap sheet, according to court records.
His criminal history includes nine felony convictions since 2014, including charges for assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, robbery, narcotics and weapons.
Gibson now faces one count of willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder for allegedly stabbing Kazmi next to Grand Hope Park, which is less than a half-mile away from where police found Fuentes’ body almost a year before.
He pled not guilty to the charge Friday in a hearing before Judge Theresa McGonigle at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, who approved prosecutors’ request for bail to be set at $2,750,000.
Gibson is facing a total of five charges in the stabbing, including that he used a deadly and dangerous weapon in the commission of the crime.
Another hearing was scheduled for April 16.
According to police, Gibson on Tuesday made an unprovoked attack on Kazmi on Hope Street near Olympic Boulevard around 10:15 a.m.
The victim, who is described in court documents as at least 70 years old, was walking along the street as Gibson passed in the other direction.
Suddenly, he turned and stabbed Kazmi without warning, cops said.
Kazmi was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery Tuesday afternoon.
Police said she was in critical condition.
A physician’s assistant, who happened to be nearby at the time of the attack, hurried over 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 said Gibson’s alleged stabbing stuck fear into the heart of the city.
“This kind of violence doesn’t just hurt the victim; it shakes our entire community,” said Hochman. “Everyone should feel safe walking the streets of Los Angeles.”
Gibson appeared in yellow jail garb during Friday’s hearing.
He is being held in custody awaiting trial.
