A man was in custody this week and charged with murder in connection with the apparent beating death of a veteran Los Angeles County deputy probation officer in her Lancaster home.
The man, whose name has not been released, was detained by deputies who responded to the 45500 block of Barrymoore Avenue at 12:05 a.m. Sept. 25, and he was arrested later that day, Lt. Mike Gomez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau told City News Service.
Authorities believe the man broke into the residence, but a motive was unclear, Gomez said.
Paula Lind, 52, died at the scene, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office reported. An autopsy was pending to determine her cause of death.
According to the county Probation Department, Lind was a 16-year veteran of the agency.
“Our hearts are heavy today,” county Chief Probation Officer Adolfo Gonzales said in a statement. “Our officers work daily to help folks start over and rebuild their lives. Their work helps keep communities safe. It is horrifying to hear that one of our beloved officers passed in this manner. I am hopeful that the individual responsible for this attack will be held accountable and that justice will prevail. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lind family, loved ones, and friends.”
Deputies were sent to the Barrymoore Avenue residence on a “burglary/home invasion call,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s department.
“When deputies arrived, they found the victim … unresponsive and suffering from blunt head trauma,” according to a sheriff’s department statement. “The victim was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.”
“A male who was discovered in the house has been currently detained,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement on Sept. 25..
In a statement on Monday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger called Lind’s death “a tragic loss of life.”
“She was a public servant that dedicated her life’s work to helping effect positive change in the lives of the probationers she supervised,” Barger said. “The perpetrator responsible for this brutal attack must be held accountable and brought to justice. I will continue to track the outcome of this investigation closely.”
Anyone with information on the crime was urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
