Murrieta man killed, woman hospitalized after suspect armed with screwdriver breaks into their home, police say
A man was killed and a woman was hospitalized after a man armed with a knife and a screwdriver broke into their Murrieta home, attacked them and then ran from the area on Wednesday morning.
Police were called to a house on Old Spring Road, near Dove Hollow Lane, at around 8 a.m. after receiving a call from a resident who told them that a man had forced his way into their home, according to a news release from the Murrieta Police Department.
"The reporting party stated she had been stabbed in the head with a screwdriver, while her husband had been stabbed with a knife," the release said. "The caller also indicated that her husband appeared to be deceased and that the suspect had fled out the back door."
Officers arrived and confirmed that the woman's husband, only identified as a 70-year-old Murrieta man, was dead, the release stated.
Nearly an hour after receiving the call, officers found a man who matched the description provided by the woman. He was found in a ravine behind a house on Wildflower Drive. He attempted to hide in the bushes in the area, and after several minutes of unsuccessful attempts to coax him out, a K-9 unit was deployed.
"He was quickly taken into custody and later identified as the suspect in the homicide," police said.
He was identified as 36-year-old Modesto man, Manuel Arturo Alvarez. He was booked on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and booked at the Byrd Detention Center without bail.
On Friday, Alvarez was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, resisting arrest and two counts of brandishing a weapon not in self-defense, as well as sentence-enhancing allegations of using a knife in the commission of a felony, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
The woman was hospitalized for treatment of her wounds, and at the latest, police said she was in stable condition. The suspect was also treated for injuries sustained during the K-9 apprehension before he was released to police custody.
Police did not provide a motive for the attack.
Anyone who knows more was asked to contact MPD detectives at (951) 461-6365.
