Suspect in Fatal Stabbing of Woman in Pasadena Arrested in New Mexico

A parolee suspected of fatally stabbing a woman whose body was found at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena earlier this week has been arrested in New Mexico and charged with murder in connection with the killing in California, police announced Thursday.

Adrian Robert Casey, 26, of Pasadena is accused of killing 49-year-old Elena Ledford of Glendale, who worked as a program manager at Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena, according to authorities and the organization.

A jogger discovered Ledford’s body shortly before 8 a.m. on Nov. 24 at the park, just southeast of the intersection of Oak Grove Drive and Foothill Boulevard, police said. An autopsy performed by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner found she had been stabbed to death and the death was ruled a homicide.

Investigators have since determined Ledford was killed in the parking lot of La Canada High School, directly across the street from the picnic area where her body was discovered, Pasadena police said Thursday in a written statement.

Ledford and Casey knew each other prior to the attack, Lt. Carolyn Gordon said. But investigators declined to discuss how the two were acquainted, citing the active investigation.

Detectives quickly identified Casey, who was already on parole for a prior conviction, as a possible killer, police said. They also learned he had left the state shortly after the killing.

Deputies from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department in New Mexico found Casey driving near Albuquerque on Nov. 26 and arrested him, Gordon said.

The arrest took place shortly after 2:20a.m. after deputies noticed a “suspicious vehicle bearing a California license plate,” parked along Highway 333, according to the BCSD.

“The individual covered his face with a blanket and would not respond to deputies,” the agency said in a written statement. “Upon a standard check of the vehicle’s information through NCIC, deputies learned the vehicle and the occupant were wanted out of California in reference to a homicide investigation.”

Deputies summoned back-up and Casey remained barricaded inside his car for about two hours before ultimately surrendering, sheriff’s officials said.

Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales III commended his deputies.

“Our deputies did a great job peacefully taking this dangerous criminal into custody,” he said. “Their apprehension will aid in the collaborative homicide investigation with the Pasadena Police Department.”

Pasadena police detectives went to New Mexico to continue the investigation and recover evidence, including the suspected weapon used in the killing, according to the police statement.

Detectives presented a murder case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday. Charges were yet to be filed as of Thursday afternoon, district attorney’s office spokesman Ricardo Santiago said.

He was being held on a California Department of Corrections parole violation in New Mexico pending extradition proceedings, officials said.

“The family of the deceased respectfully requests for privacy during this time,” the police statement said.

Ledford had worked at Union Station Homeless Services for three years, according to representatives. She left behind a 14-year-old daughter.

Prior convictions in Los Angeles County include burglary and battery in 2015, carrying a concealed dagger in 2012, a well as trespassing in 2016 and 2017, according to L.A. County Superior Court records.  He also has a pending trespassing case stemming from an Aug. 31 arrest.

He was involved in an armed, seven-hour standoff with deputies in 2015, in Pico Rivera, the Whittier Daily News reported at the time.

He broke into the home of a relative, who already had a restraining order against him, and fired a handgun multiple times, sheriff’s officials said at the time. He ultimately surrendered to a SWAT team.

A fundraising campaign established by Union Station to benefit Ledford’s daughter at https://www.gofundme.com/f/elenaledford had raised more than $23,000 as of Thursday afternoon.

Anyone with information was urged to contact the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4501. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

See also:

Woman Whose Body Was Found at Hahamongna Park Was Stabbed

Woman Found Dead Under Suspicious Circumstances at Park in Pasadena Identified as Glendale Resident, Union Station Program Manager

Foul Play Suspected After Body of Woman Found at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena