By Redacción
Redaccion@latinocc.com
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that an Oxnard man has been arraigned in connection with a 2014 fatal stabbing that remained unsolved for more than a decade.
Jose Antonio Jimenez, 32, was arraigned on May 20, 2026, in the killing of Labh Nigah, a 55-year-old Oxnard resident who was attacked while walking near Sierra Linda Park.
Jimenez is charged with one count of murder and faces three special allegations, including personally using a knife during the commission of the crime, committing an act involving great violence, and targeting a particularly vulnerable victim.
According to prosecutors, Jimenez pleaded not guilty to all charges and allegations during his arraignment.
The killing occurred on Nov. 13, 2014, at approximately 8:43 a.m., when officers with the Oxnard Police Department responded to reports of an injured man at Sierra Linda Park.
Responding officers found Nigah suffering from multiple stab wounds along a walking path near Indigo Place. Despite lifesaving efforts by first responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy later determined the manner of death was homicide.
Investigators said Nigah had just walked his son to a nearby elementary school moments before the attack occurred in broad daylight.
Authorities believe the stabbing was random.
The attack took place in a public park adjacent to the school while classes were in session and was witnessed by people inside the park, as well as nearby school staff and students, investigators said.
DNA technology helped revive decade-old cold case
The case remained unsolved for more than 11 years despite extensive investigative efforts that included witness interviews, forensic analysis, and public appeals for information.
Evidence recovered from the scene, including DNA samples, was entered into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS. At the time, investigators were unable to identify a match.
In recent years, however, advances in DNA technology allowed investigators to revisit the evidence and develop new leads.
The renewed investigation involved the Oxnard Police Department, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Through the collaborative investigation, detectives identified Jimenez as a suspect in the killing.
On April 2, 2026, investigators served an arrest warrant at a residence in Oxnard and took Jimenez into custody without incident.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Amber Lee, a member of the District Attorney’s Office Major Crimes Homicide Unit, is prosecuting the case.
Jimenez is scheduled to appear for an early disposition conference on Aug. 13, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court.
He remains in custody with bail set at $1 million.
