A fight over a debt of less than $100 built up into a physical confrontation that left a Turlock man dead from a stab wound, the Turlock Police Department reported.
The victim has been identified as Lamondrea Brown, 23.
The suspect, 52-year-old Arthur Maunakea of Turlock was taken into custody shortly after the Saturday afternoon stabbing and was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail at 2 a.m. Sunday on a single homicide charge.
Brown and Maunakea were acquainted with one another through Maunakea’s great-niece, who was dating Brown, police said.
The fatal fight was allegedly over a debt of less that $100 that Maunakea owed to Brown, said Turlock Police Investigations Sgt. Russell Holeman.
The fight between the two men broke out sometime before 2:40 p.m. Saturday at a residence in the 1200 block of N. Olive Avenue.
The confrontation escalated as it moved outside the residence. At some point in the fight, police say Maunakea plunged a large knife into Brown’s chest. Brown was rushed by ambulance to Emanuel Medical Center where he died from his injury, Turlock Police Sgt. Nino Amirfar said.
Maunakea was just a few blocks away from the crime scene when he waved down a passing patrol car on its way to the N. Olive residence. He was taken into custody and identified by witnesses as the person responsible for the stabbing, Holeman said.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Turlock Police Detective Lee Medlin at 668-5550 ext. 6627.
To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002.