The discovery of a body outside a local hospital has resulted in the arrest of a man for murder. Police have arrested Daniel Roy Davis (26) and he is being held on $2 million bail.
A security guard discovered a body slumped over on a bench at Providence St. John’s Health Center and alerted hospital staff to the body around 6:45 a.m. on Friday.
Detectives say the man suffered a blunt force injury to his upper torso. The victim is only described as a white male in his 40’s, pending identification from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
“It appears suspicious in nature and we are treating it as a homicide,” Lt. Saul Rodriguez said.“We think it happened here.”
Davis was found in the immediate area and SMPD said they found evidence linking him to the crime.
Staff members accustomed to seeing a fair amount of death and illness in their careers were stunned by the discovery of a body on campus.
“We were deeply saddened to learn a body was discovered this morning on the Providence Saint John’s Health Center campus,” spokesperson Patricia Aidem said in a statement to the Daily Press. “We are working with Santa Monica Police, and are asking our employees and the public to report to the police anything noteworthy they may have observed in the area over the last 12 hours.”
The campus is patrolled by a 24-hour private security service.
