Image: from Preme Football X@premefootball
By Open Chronicle Staff
LOS ANGELES, CA — Authorities in Los Angeles are investigating the possibility of a serial predator operating along the Los Angeles River after the murder of former NFL player Kevin Johnson was linked to three other recent homicides.
The 55-year-old former defensive tackle, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders in the mid-1990s, was found in critical condition on January 21 at an unhoused encampment near Compton Creek in Willowbrook. He later died from what the L.A. County Medical Examiner described as a combination of blunt head trauma and stab wounds.
A Patterns of Violence
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) confirmed on Tuesday that Johnson’s death is part of a cluster of killings occurring in the 1300 block of East 120th Street. All four victims were unhoused individuals living in local encampments between October 2025 and late January 2026.
According to investigative sources, the timeline of the suspected spree includes:
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October 5, 2025: Michelle Steele, 52, was shot in the head near the creek. She succumbed to her injuries in November.
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December 4, 2025: Octavio Arias, 52, was found dead from head and neck trauma in the same vicinity.
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January 21, 2026: Kevin Johnson was fatally assaulted.
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January 26, 2026: Mauro Alfaro was discovered dead near a flood control channel, having suffered blunt force trauma.
Detectives Scour the Riverbanks
Eight detectives from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau have been assigned to determine if a single suspect is responsible for the deaths. While officials stressed that no “concrete evidence” currently proves a definitive link, the geographic proximity and the status of the victims have raised significant alarms.
“Homicide investigators continue to pursue all investigative leads and remain committed to identifying the individual or individuals responsible for these crimes,” the LASD said in a statement. Investigators are currently weighing several motives, including targeted hostility toward the unhoused community, drug-related disputes, or gang activity.
The Fall of a Local Hero
Kevin Johnson takes the interception 71 yards to the house!!
#GoBills | #BUFvsCAR pic.twitter.com/NvTuAAMlw5
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 17, 2019
Johnson, a Los Angeles native and star at Texas Southern University, reached the pinnacle of his profession, playing in the NFL from 1995 to 1997. Following his professional football career, which included stints in the Arena Football League with the L.A. Avengers, he eventually fell into homelessness.
The difficulty of gathering information in transient communities has slowed the investigation. Advocates for the unhoused are now calling for increased security and outreach along the L.A. River corridors, fearing that a predator is exploiting the vulnerability of those living on the margins of the city.