65-year-old employee stabbed to death inside Lake Elsinore Walmart
Riverside County detectives closed off a Lake Elsinore Walmart after a man stabbed a 65-year-old employee to death for seemingly no reason Monday morning.
Deputies responded around 7 a.m. to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at the business located in the 29000 block of Central Avenue, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.
During the investigation, deputies closed the nearby parking lot and parts of the Walmart. Some employees were told to go home when they arrived.
"I walk up to the doors and my store manager told me that she couldn't let me in — that I had to go home," employee Monique Berrera said. "A little bit angry because why would someone do that in the first place."
Investigators identified the suspect as 29-year-old Lonnie Hinton. He later turned himself into deputies, who later booked him for murder.
"He had just been released this year from prison and was currently on parole," Sergeant Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez said.
The Sheriff's Office does not know if he knew the woman he allegedly killed. Investigators are trying to determine the motivation behind the deadly attack. Detectives have not found the weapon used.
"We're heartbroken by what's happened at our Lake Elsinore store," a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement. "We offer our condolences and support to the family during this difficult time.
