A California man who was mistaken for a burglar lost his life last weekend when a victimized homeowner chased him down and hacked him to death with an ax, according to police reports.
The homeowner, 29-year-old Steven Zinda, has been booked into the Sacramento County Jail on a single count of murder. He is being held without bail, and his arraignment is scheduled to take place later today.
According to police documents and interviews, this is how the story unfolded:
Early Sunday morning, Zinda returned home and discovered someone trying to rob his home in Rio Linda, a small community in the Sacramento metropolitan area.
The burglary suspect fled the house, Zinda said, according to Deputy Jason Ramos.
At the same time that the man was running away on foot, 20-year-old David Valdez, a resident of Elverta, was driving his SUV and got stuck in a ditch down the street from Zinda's home. When Zinda saw Elverta, he assumed he was the same person who had just attempted to break into his home, police said.
Zinda confronted him with a weapon, and the man fled on foot, Ramos told AOL News.
Zinda chased Valdez, eventually catching him about a mile away. In the ensuing confrontation, Zinda attacked Valdez with a sharp-edged object, reportedly an ax. He then returned to his home and made a 911 call around 4:30 a.m., police said.
Paramedics found Valdez dead at the scene. According to Ramos, the victim suffered trauma to his head and upper body.
Story link: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/22/mistaken-identity-may-have-led-to-california-ax-slaying-police/
The homeowner, 29-year-old Steven Zinda, has been booked into the Sacramento County Jail on a single count of murder. He is being held without bail, and his arraignment is scheduled to take place later today.
According to police documents and interviews, this is how the story unfolded:
Early Sunday morning, Zinda returned home and discovered someone trying to rob his home in Rio Linda, a small community in the Sacramento metropolitan area.
The burglary suspect fled the house, Zinda said, according to Deputy Jason Ramos.
At the same time that the man was running away on foot, 20-year-old David Valdez, a resident of Elverta, was driving his SUV and got stuck in a ditch down the street from Zinda's home. When Zinda saw Elverta, he assumed he was the same person who had just attempted to break into his home, police said.
Zinda confronted him with a weapon, and the man fled on foot, Ramos told AOL News.
Zinda chased Valdez, eventually catching him about a mile away. In the ensuing confrontation, Zinda attacked Valdez with a sharp-edged object, reportedly an ax. He then returned to his home and made a 911 call around 4:30 a.m., police said.
Paramedics found Valdez dead at the scene. According to Ramos, the victim suffered trauma to his head and upper body.
Story link: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/22/mistaken-identity-may-have-led-to-california-ax-slaying-police/
