James Henry Abney was 51 years old when he was fatally stabbed on Thursday, September 18, 2014, in Downey, in southeast Los Angeles County. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 7300 Florence Ave. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Downey Police Department.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report said that "Shortly before 2:30 a.m., the Downey Police Department received a call of a possible stabbing in an apartment, according to police statement. Officers found Abney in the apartment suffering from stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:02 a.m." The opening line of the Times entry said he had been "shot and killed," but the rest of the entry and the coroner's listing both describe stab wounds, which suggests the first line was an error.
The Times reported that "Police said they detained a woman for questioning but it was unknown whether charges were filed."
The Long Beach Press-Telegram reported the next day that a 19-year-old woman from Lancaster had been "arrested on suspicion of murder, according to information provided by the Downey Police Department." The paper described him as a "51-year-old Downey resident" who was found "inside suffering from multiple stab wounds," and it reported that "Detectives believe the murder occurred over a dispute regarding payment for sexual favors."
That is the last public word on the case that could be found. No later report says whether the woman was formally charged, whether a trial took place or how the case ended. An arrest on suspicion of murder is not a criminal charge, and the records gathered for this story do not show what prosecutors decided.
A brief obituary posted by Dignity Memorial adds a little about his life. It gives his dates as "November 6, 1962 – September 18, 2014" and says arrangements were in the care of Miller Mies Downey Mortuary. The name, the dates and the city all match. It does not name family members, a job or any other details.
Downey is a city in the southeast part of Los Angeles County. It is known for its tree-lined residential streets and for its history in aerospace, as the longtime home of an aerospace plant that worked on the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. It is also home to the oldest operating McDonald's restaurant. Florence Avenue, a major east-west street, crosses the city and is lined with apartment buildings and businesses. Downey has its own police department.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No criminal charge or court case connected to the death of James Henry Abney could be found in news archives or public records. More than 11 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived in or near the apartments in the 7300 block of Florence Avenue in Downey in September 2014, or who knew James Abney, may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. The Times asked anyone with information to call Det. Del Rio at 904-2324 or Det. Steve Aubuchon at 904-2361 of the Downey Police Department. Anyone with information can contact the Downey Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
