The man suspected of killing a homeless woman on the Chico State campus last week appeared in court Wednesday but did not enter a plea to charges against him.
Samuel Eugene Johnson, 27, no known address, is accused of slaying Linda Blacksten, 55.
Samuel Eugene Johnson, 27, no known address, is accused of slaying Linda Blacksten, 55.
His court-appointed attorney, Robert Marshall, asked for more time before making a plea since he is still making discoveries about the killing. Judge Robert Glusman scheduled an arraignment for Nov. 21.
The first signs of the crime occurred at 1:20 a.m. on Oct. 30 when the Chico State University Police Department received a call about two individuals arguing on campus. By 5 a.m., UPD found a body outside Kendall Hall.
At 5:23 a.m., Chico State sent an alert to its students warning them that a body had been found on campus and that the area would be closed off.
Another alert was sent 30 minutes later stating the victim was not a student or a faculty member and tha tthere wasn’t an ongoing threat.
By 9 a.m., Johnson was arrested outside a coffee shop in downtown Chico.
By 9 a.m., Johnson was arrested outside a coffee shop in downtown Chico.
Kendall Hall was closed off until 11 a.m., when workers were allowed in.
Chico State President Gayle Hutchinson sent two emails to the campus addressing the situation.
Chico State President Gayle Hutchinson sent two emails to the campus addressing the situation.
“We know today’s death on campus was alarming to our campus community. It is being treated as a crime investigation, and while the details we can share are minimal, a suspect is in custody and there is no threat to campus. Both the victim and suspect in today’s incident were experiencing homelessness and were known to UPD,” Hutchinson wrote.
On Nov. 1, Blacksten's name was released and authorities said the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
Johnson has remained in custody at the Butte County Jail. His bail was set at $1 million.
-- Yaritza Ayon