AIRPORT COURTHOUSE — A 55-year-old man accused of stabbing a woman to death on Sunday in the courtyard of the Santa Monica home for the mentally ill where she lived pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder on Tuesday afternoon.
The man, Rigoberto Ruiz, allegedly stabbed his victim, Rosalind Sue Olson, 61, in the chest after a confrontation that took place at The Manor, a home for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled located at 1905 Pico Blvd.
Olson, a resident of the facility, was pronounced dead at 8:20 a.m. Sunday by paramedics from the Santa Monica Fire Department.
Police said they recovered a knife they believe is the murder weapon but have not disclosed further details about the attack.
Ruiz, who had been living in a semi-assisted living facility on the 2000 block of Pico Boulevard that is affiliated with The Manor, was arrested on Sunday without incident.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court record revealed Ruiz in 1991 was convicted of robbery.
He is being held on $1 million bail. His next court hearing is set for Aug. 10 at the Airport Courthouse, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
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