US EditionEx-NFL Player Kevin Johnson's Death May Be Linked to Other Homicides Near L.A. County Homeless Encampments
Four unhoused people, including former NFL player Kevin Johnson, were murdered over four months; investigators consider a single suspect or gang involvement, sheriff's department said.
- On Jan. 21, Kevin Johnson, former NFL defensive lineman, was found dead at a Willowbrook, Los Angeles County encampment with his death ruled a homicide, and investigators are probing links to three other killings.
- Between October 2025 and January 2026, four homicides occurred in the Compton Creek/Willowbrook corridor, beginning with Michelle Steele on October 5, 2025, followed by Octavio Arias on Dec. 4 and Mauro Alfaro on Jan. 26.
- All four victims were unhoused and living in encampments on East 120th Street near Central Avenue; the medical examiner determined Arias died from head and neck trauma, Alfaro from blunt force trauma.
- Authorities urged anyone with information to call the Los Angeles Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, as investigators continue to follow leads and have not identified a suspect.
- Detectives are exploring whether the killings reflect hostility toward unhoused people or involve drugs or gangs, but no concrete evidence links the cases, and motives remain uncertain.
43 Articles
43 Articles
Ex-NFL Player's Murder May Be Linked to 3 Others
Authorities are investigating whether former NFL lineman Kevin Johnson's killing near Los Angeles is linked to the murders of three other unhoused people in the same area. Johnson, 55, who played defensive line for various teams in the 1990s, was fatally stabbed on Jan. 21 at a homeless encampment covering...
Serial killer terror is sweeping LA, and it just claimed a former NFL player as its fourth victim
The stabbing death of former NFL defensive lineman Kevin Johnson is now officially linked to a terrifying string of three other homicides sweeping through the Los Angeles area, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. This is absolutely devastating news, and it points to a pattern of calculated violence targeting the most vulnerable members of the community. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, or LASD, Homicide Bureau h…
4 murders of homeless people including ex-NFL player may be connected: Police
In this screen grab from a video, law enforcement vehicles are shown at a homeless encampment in Los Angeles, where former NFL player Kevin Johnson was found dead, Jan. 23, 2026. (KABC) (LOS ANGELES) — Investigators are working to determine whether four murders of homeless people in Los Angeles that occurred between October and January are connected, officials said. The killings occurred in the same general location, the 1300 block of East 120th…
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