A 34-year-old Long Beach man pleaded not guilty this afternoon to fatally stabbing a Cal State Long Beach student and wounding another man at the apartment the three shared in Central Long Beach.
Alejandro Iniestra, of Long Beach, was arrested late at night on Oct. 4, shortly after officers responded to an apartment on Temple Avenue north of East Anaheim Street, according to Long Beach police.
Authorities allege Iniestra stabbed his two roommates, one of whom died at the scene. They identified the slain man as 22-year-old Spencer Timms, of Long Beach. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined Timms died from multiple stab wounds to his chest.
The other victim was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Timms was a senior in the industrial design program at CSULB, according to an email the student newspaper, The Current, obtained that Royce W. Smith, dean for the College of Arts, sent to students.
Timms was an “incredibly positive and impactful student – maintaining a 4.0 GPA during his time at The Beach and sharing a passion for using design to uplift the world,” Smith wrote in the email.
Timms “had something special to offer” and “approached design with grit, courage and fearlessness,” Smith wrote.
“There are simply no words that can express my shock and heartbreak right now, and I know that many of you are hurting right now, too,” Smith wrote in the email.
Police have not disclosed a motive for the stabbing.
In a statement, a university spokesperson said school staff “have been in touch with Spencer’s family, and have been reaching out to and supporting his Beach classmates and faculty.”
On Tuesday, Iniestra pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and one count of attempted murder. If convicted of both, he could face 50 years to life in prison, according to prosecutors.
Iniestra was being held on $3,020,000 bail and is due back in court on Dec. 8.