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The stabbing death of former NFL defensive lineman Kevin Johnson may be connected to a string of murders, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) said Tuesday.
LASD’s Homicide Bureau is investigating a series of homicides that occurred between October 2025 and January 2026 around the same area, the 1300 block of East 120th Street. During that time frame, four homicides occurred in the area, all of which remain under active homicide investigation, according to LASD. One of the cases is the stabbing death of Johnson, who played for Philadelphia Eagles and the Oakland Raiders in the 1990s.
Johnson’s body was discovered at a homeless camp on January 21. His cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma to the head and stab wounds, records showed.
FORMER NFL DEFENSIVE LINEMAN STABBED TO DEATH IN LOS ANGELES, RECORD SHOW
Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Kevin Johnson moves down the field during a game against the Washington Redskins at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC on November 26, 1995. (Otto Greule Jr./Allsport)
“All four victims were homeless individuals who lived in encampments near the 1300 block of East 120th Street,” LASD said.
The LASD added that investigators from its Homicide Bureau worked with personnel from the Century Sheriff’s Station and the Operation Safe Streets Bureau in their investigations into the killings.
A homeless encampment in Willowbrook on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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The string of killings in the Compton Creek area started on Oct. 5, 2025, when a woman, identified as 52-year-old Michelle Steele, was shot in the head, according to KABC-TV, which cited sources close to the investigation. She later died at the hospital on November 12, 2025. On December 4, 2025, 52-year-old Octavio Arias was killed in the same area, KABC-TV reported, adding that Arias died of head and neck trauma. Johnson was the third victim.
LASD said the fourth victim was found on Jan. 26. KABC-TV reported identifying the victim as Mauro Alfaro, adding that sources said the cause of death was blunt force trauma.
A memorial for former NFL and Westchester High lineman Kevin Johnson sits near a homeless camp in Willowbrook on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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The investigation into the killings is ongoing, and the LASD has urged anyone with information about the incidents to contact its homicide bureau.
