8:01pm | Long Beach police said a domestic dispute turned deadly early Monday morning when a wife killed her husband in self-defense.
According to information provided by Long Beach Police Department spokesman Sgt. Rico Fernandez, officers were dispatched to an apartment near the intersection of Seventh Street and Long Beach Boulevard in the 300 block of East Seventh shortly after 1 a.m. Monday, July 18. When the officers arrived at the scene, they found a man, whom the Los Angeles Times identified as Hekima Batiste, 37, suffering from what appeared to be multiple stab wounds.
The preliminary investigation has revealed that the Batiste and his wife had been married for about a year and had been having problems. Batiste forced his way into the apartment, and his wife stabbed him with a knife in self-defense during a physical altercation, Fernandez said.
Though Batiste was treated by paramedics at the scene, he later died as a result of his injuries, Fernandez said.
The wife was transported to LBPD headquarters and formally questioned, as were other witnesses to the incident, he said. Detectives at this time have determined that the actions taken by Batiste’s wife were in self-defense and she has been released from custody.
Her identity is not being released because it is legally protected.
“The incident is still under investigation and will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office for a formal disposition,” Fernandez said. “Because it has been determined that the female in this case acted in self-defense and is being considered a victim of domestic violence, her identity is protected under California law.”
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call LBPD Homicide Detectives Scott Lasch or Donald Goodman at 562-570-07244. Anonymous information can be submitted via text or the web by visiting LongBeach.gov/police.