Murder/Suicide Delayed

"BREA, CA - The case of a 63-year-old man found shot to death in his Orange County home appears to have been resolved with the suicide of a woman who had dated him, Brea police said Monday.

"Beth Q. Jia, 53, of Alhambra, suffered a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head Sunday evening after detectives stopped her vehicle, Brea Police Chief Billy L. Hutchinson said in a statement.

"Paramedics took Jia to L.A. County-USC Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

"She had been identified by police as a `possible suspect` in the man’s slaying. In a recent search of her home, police had seized ammunition and other materials `consistent with evidence located at the homicide scene,` Hutchinson said.

"Jia and the unidentified man had been in a `dating relationship,` and police suspect a domestic motive in his murder, said Sgt. Bill Smyser, a Brea police spokesman. The man’s identity will not be released until his family is notified, Smyser said.

"Investigators went to an apartment complex Sunday night in El Monte where Jia had been staying. She walked out about 8 p.m., got into her car and began to drive away, when detectives stopped her. Officers then heard a single gunshot.

"The .38-caliber revolver recovered at the scene was registered to Jia and was the same caliber handgun used in the man's slaying, police said."

Source: L.A. Times...