Teen arrested after homeless woman stabbed to death in Roseville, police say
A 15-year-old boy was arrested last week after a woman was stabbed to death in Roseville, officials said.
According to the Placer County District Attorney's Office, upon our request, the suspect was identified as 15-year-old James "Jimmy" Wong, whom they say has since made his first appearance in juvenile court and is charged with first-degree murder.
The Roseville Police Department said officers were called around 1 a.m. on Oct. 14 to the area of Atlantic Street and South Grant Street after receiving a report that someone had been stabbed.
Officers arrived to find a woman dead at the scene. The Placer County Sheriff's Office has identified the woman as 57-year-old Cherie Dodge, who was homeless.
Dodge was a mother of five, with 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She was fatally stabbed while sleeping on a bench near Atlantic and South Grant streets.
That bench is now a heart-breaking tribute to a woman family members say "was more than just a homeless person."
"She was a person. She was a human being, you know? She didn't deserve anything like that," granddaughter Laila Brandt said.
Roseville police said detectives gathered a variety of evidence and leads that helped identify a person of interest. Detectives obtained and then served a search warrant at the teen suspect's home on Buckley Court early Friday morning.
The teen was then taken into custody and has been booked into Placer County Juvenile Hall.
Family members now want justice and action to protect others living on the street.
"I'm coming at Placer County. I'm coming at the city police department. I'm coming at anyone who can make a difference in this case right now because this means everything to our family," son Charles Rodriguez said. "It's something no one should have to think about."
Roseville police said there are no outstanding suspects in the case and noted that there doesn't appear to be any known connection between Dodge and her suspected killer.
