61-year-old woman stabbed to death in Tenderloin

61-year-old woman stabbed to death in TenderloinEllis and Leavenworth streets. | Image: Google
Carrie Sisto
Published on January 03, 2019

UPDATED: January 3rd at 6:10 p.m. The SFPD report the victim, 61-year-old San Francisco resident Veronica Soliz, was stabbed in the head and died shortly after arriving at the hospital. Witnesses on scene were able to provide a description of the suspect and his vehicle.

SFPD identified another victim, a 50-year-old man suffering from a non-life-threatening stab wound, at the hospital. SFPD suspect the younger victim was also stabbed by the suspect, 49-year-old San Francisco resident Arthur Finch.

SFPD located a vehicle that matched the description from on-scene witnesses on the unit block of Brookdale Avenue (near Sunnydale), and detained the 43-year-old female driver. While SFPD were questioning the woman, Finch emerged from a nearby residence, was identified by SFPD as matching the suspect description, and was detained without incident.

SFPD believe the 50-year-old man and Soliz were attempting to aid a domestic abuse victim that was being assaulted by Finch. The suspect has been booked for murder, attempted murder, felony domestic violence, elder abuse, possession and use of a dangerous weapon, mayhem, and assault with a deadly weapon.  

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Soliz was murdered after recording an attack outside of her apartment at 480 Ellis St. by Finch, who is a registered sex offender and served six years in state prison for a 2008 rape in Oakland. 

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A 49-year-old man was arrested yesterday after allegedly stabbing a woman to death in the Tenderloin.

Police say the victim, 61-year-old Veronica Soliz, died after being stabbed with an edged weapon around 11:39 a.m. on January 2, near the intersection of Ellis and Leavenworth streets.

The suspect was driving a dark-colored sedan, but it is unclear from police reports whether the deceased woman was found in or near the vehicle. 

The case remains under investigation, but police are currently considering it as a homicide. They offered no further information on the suspect's identity, or a potential motive.

Anyone with information on the stabbing is asked to contact SFPD's Tenderloin Station by emailing [email protected], texting TIP411 with "SFPD" at the start of the message, or calling the department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444.