Suspect in LA Metro stabbing faces murder charge

The man suspected of stabbing and killing a 67-year-old woman on an LA Metro train as she headed home from work will face murder and first degree robbery charges, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said the criminal charges against, Elliot Tramel Nowden, 45, include a sentencing enhancement of murder during a robbery, which could result in life in prison without the possibility of parole if he's convicted.

Nowden allegedly stabbed Mirna Soza Arauz in the throat during a sudden, unprovoked attack at the Universal City/Studio City Metro B Line Station around 5 a.m. on Monday. The South Los Angeles woman was taking the train home after her overnight shift as a security guard at Tommy's Burgers in North Hills.

"While sitting on the train, she was stabbed without provocation by a man who grabbed the bag she was holding," Gascón said during Wednesday's news conference. 

Arauz died from her injuries at a nearby hospital. 

She had been saving money to go back to Nicaragua, where her children live, according to coworkers. They described her as a kindhearted woman who often walked others home to ensure they made it there safely.

"This is truly a tragedy that should never have occurred," Gascón said.

According to police, Arauz had boarded the train at the nearby North Hollywood station before taking it towards downtown. Nowden got off the train at the same stop as her and then ran from the scene. Using a description given by witnesses, police identified and arrested him about 30 minutes later and half a mile away, near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Vineland Avenue.  

Gascón said investigators also linked Nowden to the killing through evidence found in his possession.  

Court records show Nowden pleaded no contest to battering a Metro passenger in 2019. He was ordered to spend five days in jail and three years probation. He was also barred from boarding any trains within the transit system. Later in 2019, Nowden was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading no contest to an assault with a deadly weapon charge.

In recent weeks, LA Metro has faced a troubling streak of violence. Earlier this month, an elderly man was stabbed by another man while riding a westbound Metro bus in Silver Lake. Later that same day, a Metro bus driver was punched in the face and stabbed in the chest while driving through the Willowbrook neighborhood near South LA. The driver was left hospitalized with serious injuries while the assailant remained at large three days later.

Less than a week later, a man kicked in the door of a Metro bus in Santa Monica and attacked the driver.

Mayor Karen Bass has said the public transit system will place more security officers on patrol. "The attack on a Metro bus operator is horrible and will not be tolerated," she said last week.

Meanwhile, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said LA Metro must enforce fares more, harden points of entry onto buses and trains and expand access to mental health services. Barger is an LA Metro board member.

"Ms. Soza's death is another terrible and painful reminder of the reality our Metro riders are facing every day," Barger said in a statement Wednesday. "We are failing them and Metro employees, who are also facing attacks and feeling unsafe at work.
This attack was preventable."

The 67-year-old South Los Angeles woman was described as a mother of three and grandmother of seven in a GoFundMe page set up by family members. 

"While we appreciate the first responders that tried to save her life, we hope that Mirna's death does not go unnoticed, and results in real change to the public safety efforts in the area," the page reads. "It's a tragedy for the immigrant community of Los Angeles and for all that rely on the Metro to get home safe."

Law enforcement officials have said they are still working to determine a possible motive behind the killing. 

LA Metro previously said Arauz was attacked as she was exiting the train. But on Wednesday, Gascón said she was sitting down when she was stabbed.

There may be other victims of Nowden, police said, urging any others to come forward. 

Anyone with information about the stabbing is urged to call 877-LAPD-247 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.