More than a decade after a father was stabbed to death following a morning school drop-off, a Ventura County man is now facing a murder charge in a case that had long gone cold. Prosecutors say fresh DNA work and genetic genealogy pointed them to a suspect, 32-year-old Jose Jimenez, who was charged Monday and is due in Ventura County court this week on a murder count with three special enhancements. Bail was set at $500,000, and prosecutors have asked that he be held without bail.
At a Monday news conference, Oxnard police said they obtained and served an arrest warrant after investigators finally identified a suspect. Police Chief Jason Benites called the attack “truly heinous” and noted it happened in broad daylight next to an elementary school, with witnesses, including school staff, present when the stabbing occurred, as reported by CBS News Los Angeles.
The victim, 55-year-old Labh Nigah, had just dropped his son off at nearby Sierra Linda Elementary on the morning of Nov. 13, 2014, and had gone for a walk through Sierra Linda Park when he was attacked. He was found with multiple stab wounds around 8:43 a.m., according to the Oxnard Police Department’s cold-case file. Detectives collected DNA at the scene that did not match anyone in criminal databases at the time, and investigators released composite sketches as they chased leads that eventually dried up.
Genealogy Break Leads to Arrest
Ventura County prosecutors say the turning point came when properly preserved DNA from the 2014 scene was retested using newer techniques. Investigative genetic genealogy led detectives to a sibling of the suspect in Houston, which helped narrow the focus to 32-year-old Jose Jimenez, according to CBS News Los Angeles. Prosecutors told reporters they intend to pursue murder charges with three special-circumstance enhancements, alleging the use of a knife, an ambush-style attack, and a killing carried out in an especially cruel, vicious, and callous way. They have asked the court to hold Jimenez without bail. Jimenez is slated to appear for arraignment Monday afternoon in Ventura County Superior Court, with bail set at $500,000, the outlet reported.
Cold-Case Tools and Local Context
Investigators in Ventura County have increasingly relied on genetic genealogy and improved DNA testing to crack older homicide cases, changing how detectives approach long-unsolved killings, reporting by the Los Angeles Times. Officials say the careful preservation of evidence in 2014 is what allowed for later retesting and gave them a second look at leads that had been dormant for years.
Family, Community, and Next Steps
Nigah’s family created a memorial fund shortly after his killing in 2014, and neighbors at the time described being shocked that such a violent attack had unfolded beside a neighborhood school, News Channel 3-12 reported. Anyone with additional information about the case is still urged to contact the Oxnard Police Department’s cold-case unit, according to the department’s online cold-case page.
