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Local man killed in stabbing incident |
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Thursday, 25 June 2009 |
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By Mike Bodine
Register Staff
6-23-2009 A young Bishop man was killed Saturday evening, allegedly by the hand of an even younger man.
According to a press release from the Inyo County Sheriff’s Department, 23-year-old James Eric Rambeau was fatally stabbed at about 10 p.m. on Winuba Lane on the Bishop Paiute Reservation by 18-year-old Louis Daniel LePlat.
LePlat is currently in Inyo County Jail for murder and being held on bail of $1 million.
Details about the incident are sparse, but the Sheriff’s Department reported that upon receiving the call reporting the stabbing, deputies, California Highway Patrol and officers from the Bishop Police Department all responded to Winuba Lane and quickly located the victim. Rambeau was rushed from the scene to Northern Inyo Hospital, but succumbed to his injuries.
Law enforcement were able to gather enough information from the scene to locate the suspect at another residence in Bishop.
When located, LePlat was found to have suffered minor injuries. He was treated at NIH and then taken into custody.
Carma Roper, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Department, said that the department is “not prepared to provide any additional information at this point in the investigation.”
In the absence of further details from the Sheriff’s Department, second-hand accounts from people at the scene of the incident suggest that alcohol was involved and there may have been a case of mistaken identity at play.
According to one account given to the Register, earlier that evening, LePlat, a Utah resident, and his girlfriend were at a party drinking when an altercation between LePlat and another individual took place. LePlat and his girlfriend then left the party.
LePlat then returned to what he mistakenly thought was the same house party. According to the account, LePlat turned his anger on the nearest person within range, Rambeau.
The Inyo County Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s offices are conducting a joint investigation into the incident.
Mark Johnson, deputy district attorney, said Monday that his office is still awaiting reports from law enforcement before officially filing charges against LePlat.
An autopsy of Rambeau is scheduled with the Orange County Coroners Office within the next few days. Deputy County Coroner Bill Stinnett said it is standard procedure to have the OC facility handle homicide autopsies. Stinnett explained Inyo County has a contract with Orange County to handle these sorts of investigations as the OC coroner has certain facilities and access not available in Inyo.
Stinnett explained that the official cause of Rambeau’s death has yet to be ascertained.
Anyone with any information regarding this altercation is encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Department at 878-0383.
Roper said it is “critical” for anyone with any information about this incident that may be helpful in the investigation to contact the Sheriff’s Department. She added that family members may contact the Sheriff’s Department with any questions about the investigation.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 28 July 2009 )
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