A homeless woman who was fatally stabbed last month in a parking lot in front of a 99-Cents Only store in Corona was identified on Monday, authorities announced.
Lavern Davis, 60, was fatally stabbed about 11 a.m. on Sept. 22 after she was attacked by a man while walking through a parking lot in 700 block of South Main Street, the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office reported.
Members of the Corona spoke fondly of Davis, saying she was well-known in the city, and could always be found sitting on a bench in front of the strip mall where was attacked.
Steven Loia, 54, was arrested shortly after Davis was brutally attacked. He was charged with homicide and is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 11, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office reported.
Police said Davis was stabbed multiple times and appeared to have been beaten. She died at Corona Regional Hospital following the attack.
Loia remains behind bars on $ 1 million bail, according to the Corona Police Department.
The motive behind the deadly attack remains under investigation.