MONROVIA >> Those who knew her Monday recalled a woman who was found dead in a Mauna Loa Drive backyard as a paranoid schizophrenic who often ate in her car and was combative with police.
Police said the body of Alice Marie Medina-Kaplan, 46, was discovered Sunday in a sports utility vehicle parked in her father’s backyard.
A man identified as Joel Velasquez, 49, of La Puente, was arrested on suspicion of killing the woman. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail and due to be arraigned today in Pasadena Superior Court, officials said.
Stu Roy, who lives on nearby West Hillcrest Boulevard, said Medina-Kaplan arrived in the neighborhood about two years ago. She would park her Lexus SUV in front of his house and eat take-out lunches on his property. She was by herself then.
“She obviously wasn’t hurting for money. (She) always had fresh food from Chili’s, Panera Bread,” he said.
He said her boyfriend appeared in the neighborhood only in the last several months.
Roy spoke once with Medina-Kaplan and one time with Velasquez.
Ed Winter, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, said the couple were living together at the time of Medina-Kaplan’s death.
“Our information was the decedent was living in the vehicle with the boyfriend behind her father’s residence,” Winter said.
An autopsy is pending.
Medina-Kaplan’s father, Raymond Medina, couldn’t be reached for comment Monday. No one answered the door of the house on Mauna Loa Drive or a phone number listed in Medina’s name.
Raymond Medina told KABC his daughter suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and that he wouldn’t let her live in the house because she was violent to her parents.
Medina-Kaplan was taken away by police either last year or six months ago, according to Roy. It appears she was taken for a psychological observation.
He said they called police.
“We didn’t want her living on her own in a car on our street,” Roy said.
“We didn’t want homeless people living on the street. It just invites problems. There are shelters. … She wasn’t obviously in her right mind. We called police because she wasn’t stable.”
Medina-Kaplan returned to the area a couple of weeks later.
“She needed help. We were surprised they let her out again. We thought she was gone permanently,” he said.
Neighbors said Medina-Kaplan used to park on West Hillcrest Boulevard and on Mauna Loa Aveune. The SUV was later seen on her father’s driveway then in the backyard.
When Velasquez appeared in the neighborhood, he and Medina-Kaplan parked their bicycles on Roy’s yard.
“They actually wanted to padlock their bikes to one of the trees in the lawn,” Roy said. “Then he said what about the stop sign?”
Roy asked them not to use his lawn. They later found another spot.
“You could tell he also had problems. Bordered on manic depressive. (Velasquez) would get excited then calm down,” Roy said.
Sheriff’s Homicide Lt. Steve Jauch declined to discuss the slaying in detail.
The incident began at 3:49 p.m. Sunday with a phone call.
“Industry Sheriff’s Station deputies received a call from family members in Valinda, who were concerned about the welfare of their son and his girlfriend,” said Deputy Amber Smith in a statement.
Monrovia Police Lt. Michael Lee said Velasquez’s mother called the sheriff’s station and a local television station. The TV station notified Monrovia police, he said.
Officers called Velasquez’s mother, got a name for the girlfriend and tracked down an address, Lee said.
They headed to the house on Mauna Loa Drive.
Paramedics pronounced Medina-Kaplan dead at the scene. Velasquez had superficial scratches on him, Lee said.
Lee said deputies from Industry station who were checking on the couple also showed up at the Monrovia home on Sunday.
Velasquez was booked early Monday morning, according to sheriff’s online booking records.
