A 25-year-old California man has been charged with the murder in the death of his 83-year-old neighbor.
Oceanside police have not released the identity of the victim, at the request of her family, but identified the suspect as Blake Harrison Turner, who lived directly across the hall from her at the Canyon Club Apartments, KGTV reported.
Police said they were called to the scene shortly after 6 p.m. on Friday for an “unresponsive female” and determined she was the victim of a homicide. They said they identified the neighbor as a suspect and later provided his name.
Turner was arrested Monday afternoon.
One neighbor, who declined to be identified, told KGTV that Turner and his victim “appeared to have a friendship.”
Friends of the victim said she was a long-time advocate for animals and a volunteer for the San Diego Humane Society, which said in a statement it was “heartbroken” by the news.
“She was an integral part of our volunteer program at the Oceanside Campus, and we know she would want to be remembered for her extraordinary dedication to the animals in our care,” the organization said.
Detectives are calling this an isolated incident. Residents in the apartment complex said this tragedy doesn’t define the neighborhood.
Turner is charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bail, jail records show. He is expected to be arraigned Wednesday morning.
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[Featured image: Canyon Club Apartments/Google Maps]
