San Diego

Suspect, Victim in Rancho Penasquitos Stabbing ID'd as Neighbors

Moments after a Rancho Penasquitos man was fatally stabbed in his garage Thursday, San Diego police arrested the man's neighbor and booked him on charges of murder. 

Richard Munsinger, 72, was found unresponsive and suffering from stab wounds at his home on High Park Lane just before 2 p.m.

Neighbors called 911 reporting screams coming from the victim's home.

When officers arrived at the home minutes later, neighbors told them a man was seen riding away from the garage on a bicycle.

Police took the suspect into custody and later identified him as Howard Lowe, 54. Lowe is Munsinger's neighbor.

"That incident was a dispute between them that got carried away," High Park Lane resident John said. "It doesn't involve all the other neighbors other than them hearing it or seeing it."

Munsinger was rushed to Scripps La Jolla Hospital where he later died, according to the San Diego Police Department.

Several neighbors told NBC 7 that the Munsinger's wife was recovering from a serious illness and they were concerned about her following the attack.

Other neighbors described Munsinger as a kind and generous man. They told NBC 7 that he was retired and would often do kind things like mow his neighbors' lawns just to keep himself busy.

Three weeks ago, a fire broke out at Lowe's home. Firefighters say contents of the home were stacked chest-high, and in some cases above their heads, making it very difficult to access the source of the fire.

High Park Lane residents described Lowe as a recluse and said that until Thursday, they hadn't seen him in the neighborhood in months.

No other information was available.

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