December 28, 2023
TORRANCE, CA—Neighbors and loved ones are devastated after a Japanese woman was killed in a violent attack on the campus of El Camino College.
The victim is identified as 65-year-old Junko Hanafusa. She was walking her dog and collecting recyclables on a Christmas Eve morning around 7 a.m. when the attack happened, according to KTLA5.
Hanafusa was picking up cans and bottles and walking her dog when the assailant viciously attacked her with a sledgehammer and then fled the scene.
A passerby spotted the fallen victim and immediately contacted authorities. Responding officers found the victim unconscious and bleeding from her head.
The victim’s dog remained by her side and paramedics transferred the woman to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries on Christmas Day, reports KTLA5.
Police arrested 40-year-old African-American Jeffrey Davis after reviewing surveillance footage. Davis is homeless and is often seen around the community.
“The person that we had an idea of who was on the security footage is, we believe, a homeless person we’ve had contact with before,” stated Sgt. Francisco Esqueda of El Camino College Police. “So we were able to go to the neighboring county park where he sometimes hangs out and that’s where we found him.”
Hanafusa enjoyed walking her dog and collecting cans. She lived in a beautiful home nearby, drove a nice car, and worked for a law firm. She was preparing for retirement, according to KTLA5.
Feature Screenshot via YouTube KTLA5