A man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to the slaying of his girlfriend in a San Diego motel room, homicide officials confirmed Tuesday.
San Diego resident Stacey Johnson, 43, is accused of killing Candace Hamilton, 47, sometime between Jun. 1 and Jun. 2 at a motel in the 4900-block of El Cajon Boulevard in the Talmadge area.
Homicide investigators say the two were in a dating relationship at the time of the murder.
On Jun. 2, at around 2:10 p.m., police officers were called to the motel to investigate the body of a woman found lying on a room floor.
When officers arrived, they discovered Hamilton’s body and declared her dead. An autopsy conducted by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office later determined Hamilton died from asphyxia, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Witnesses told investigators that Hamilton had checked into the motel on the evening of Saturday, Jun. 1, and was scheduled to check out the following morning. When Hamilton failed to leave, the motel manager went into her room and found her body on the floor.
On Oct. 4 – more than four months after Hamilton’s death – investigators charged Johnson with her murder. Police say Johnson was already in custody for another crime, possession of a controlled substance, when he was charged with first-degree murder in this case.
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Police have not released a motive for the motel murder, or any further details. Johnson is scheduled to appear in court today.
