Man Arrested In Connection With Woman's Murder At North Hollywood Park
NORTH HOLLYWOOD (CBS) — Police have made an arrest after a woman was found stabbed to death in a San Fernando Valley park Tuesday morning.
Burbank resident Stephen Joanou, 26, was placed under arrest Tuesday night and accused of murdering 32-year-old Patrina Sebella.
The Rosamond resident was found behind a storage shed in Weddington Park by a woman walking around 2:15 a.m., Los Angeles police said. Officials say the body was sitting in a pool of blood.
It is believed the woman was stabbed multiple times around midnight, police said.
A film crew is shooting for a movie at the other side of the park from where the woman's body was found. Its equipment was parked along the 10700 block of Valleyheart Drive, the same street where investigators found the victim's car.
A security guard watching over the movie trailers overnight said he saw a man and a woman park their car, walk into the park and never return.
Police said the woman likely knew her killer. It is not known how the victim and Joanou knew each other.
Residents told CBS2 that they've never felt endangered walking in the park.
"I live close to here. I go out in the middle of the night, walking the dogs or whatever, and I do see other people out," said a woman who lives nearby.
Police believe that this woman was targeted and that residents have no reason to fear another attack.
"This is really a safe park. It is simply out of character for this sort of thing to happen here. So at this time, I am gonna think its an isolated incident," said LAPD Capt. Peter Whittingham.
