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Grandson Allegedly Stabbed Grandmother to Death With a BBQ Fork
Photo by tonyz20 via Shutterstock
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A 22-year-old Mission Hills man has been arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing his grandmother with a BBQ fork, and possibly other sharp-edged tools.
Los Angeles police say the deadly stabbing stemmed from an ongoing argument between Joe Calderon and the grandparents who raised him in their Mission Hills home. Investigators say the debate on an unknown matter arose the week prior among the trio, but resumed Sunday morning between Calderon and his grandmother after the grandfather had left the home.
The grandmother, in her seventies, called a daughter early that morning to tell her Calderon was hitting her again. That daughter drove to the home to check on her mother. Unfortunately, by the time she arrived, Calderon was armed with a long metal stick and was confrontational. The woman left the property to call authorities, who arrived soon after.
Responding officers found Calderon with blood on his hands, and the deceased body of the grandmother in the kitchen, who had been inflicted with several stab wounds.
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Next to the body were a long BBQ fork with blood on the prongs, as well as what the LAPD describes as "some other possible edged weapons." Once a search warrant was issued, investigators were able to seize the tools and other evidence from the home. Authorities say they will examine all the evidence to determine what specifically was used in the commission of the alleged crime.
Calderon was booked for murder, and bail was set at $1 million.
The LAPD offers this commentary on this kind of familial crime:
“It’s always especially sad and tragic when a child kills the person who raised them,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the Mission Detective Division. “And as violent street crime has dropped in recent years, it’s these inner-family murders that tend to stand out more, not that they are happening any more, but they are no longer overshadowed by the street crime.”
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