A man was sentenced to life in state prison Wednesday after admitting to fatally stabbing a fellow passenger on a Metro Gold Line train in late 2018, prosecutors said.
Peter Muñoz, 52, of Commerce, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and admitted to the sentencing enhancement allegation that he personally used a knife in the Nov. 27 killing of 62-year-old Xuezhong Bao of Azusa, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Muñoz was taken into custody when he got off the train in Duarte, after attacking Bao somewhere between Azusa to Irwindale, officials said.
Bao died at the scene.
Detectives determined he was the killer after reviewing surveillance video and speaking to witnesses.
It’s unclear what led up to the deadly attack, and authorities have not released information on a possible motive.
Muñoz has at least eight criminal convictions over the past 35 years for offenses including criminal threats and assault with firearm on a peace officer, the DA’s office said.
Muñoz has remained behind bars since the homicide, according to booking records. Prosecutors say he’ll be eligible for parole after serving 26 years, although he faced a maximum sentence of 86 years to life.
