Prosecutors say evidence preserved from Labh Nigah’s 2014 killing helped identify Jose Antonio Jimenez as a suspect.
VENTURA, Calif. — A cold-case murder prosecution is moving forward after Ventura County investigators said preserved DNA evidence helped identify a suspect in the 2014 stabbing of Labh Nigah.
Jose Antonio Jimenez, 32, of Oxnard, is charged with one count of murder in the death of Nigah, a 55-year-old father killed near Sierra Linda Elementary School after dropping off his son. Prosecutors announced the charge April 6, four days after detectives served an arrest warrant at an Oxnard residence. The case matters now because evidence that produced no database match in 2014 has become the center of a new prosecution. Jimenez remains in custody, and his arraignment is scheduled for April 28.
The case began with a call that did not yet show its full scope. On Nov. 13, 2014, at about 8:43 a.m., Oxnard police officers responded to a report of a battery victim in Sierra Linda Park. They found Nigah on a walking path near Indigo Place with multiple stab wounds. Emergency workers tried to save him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy later confirmed the death was a homicide. Officials said Nigah had just walked his son to Sierra Linda Elementary School, which sits next to the park, before the attack.
Detectives collected DNA and other evidence from the scene. They interviewed witnesses, made public appeals for tips and used composite sketches as they tried to identify the attacker. The DNA was entered into CODIS, the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, but the database did not identify a match at the time. Officials said the lack of an early match did not close the case. It left investigators with evidence that needed better tools, more leads or both. For more than 11 years, the case remained unsolved.
The renewed push brought together several agencies. The Oxnard Police Department, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit, Ventura County Crime Lab, FBI and Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation all took part. Prosecutors said advances in DNA technology helped investigators develop new leads. Other officials said genetic genealogy helped point detectives toward relatives connected to the suspect, including a relative in Houston and later a sibling in Ventura County. From that work, detectives identified Jimenez as a suspect.
Police said Jimenez lived blocks from the crime scene when Nigah was killed and was 20 years old at the time. Officials have not announced a motive. District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said there is no evidence that Nigah and Jimenez knew each other. He said the two men appeared to be total strangers. Authorities described the killing as random, unprovoked and brutal. On April 2, detectives served the arrest warrant in Oxnard and took Jimenez into custody without incident.
The criminal complaint charges Jimenez with murder under California law. Prosecutors also filed three special allegations: that he personally used a knife, that the killing involved great violence and that the victim was particularly vulnerable. Jimenez appeared in court April 6, but his arraignment was continued to April 28. Prosecutors argued for higher bail, and the court raised it to $1 million. Senior Deputy District Attorney Amber Lee is prosecuting the case. The charges are allegations, and Jimenez has not been convicted in Nigah’s death.
The evidence story is only one part of the case. The killing happened in daylight, in a park beside a school that was in session. Oxnard Police Chief Jason Benites said witnesses included people in the park, teachers, school staff and grade-school students in the schoolyard. “This was a truly heinous crime,” Benites said. Officials said Nigah had followed a familiar morning pattern: take his son to school, then walk in the park. The attack broke into that routine in a place where children could see the violence.
Nigah’s family described him as a husband and father of three who worked as a local convenience store clerk. He had immigrated from India and was remembered as a provider who put his children’s future first. His daughters, Harleen Kaur and Arshneel Kaur, were young when he died. Arshneel Kaur said the arrest left her in shock after years of waiting. Harleen Kaur said she had made peace with the possibility that the family might never know who was responsible. The arrest changed that, but it did not remove the loss.
Officials said the case shows why evidence preservation can matter long after a homicide. The DNA collected in 2014 did not immediately name a suspect, but it remained available for later testing. Benites said advances in science and persistence by investigators made the arrest possible. Nasarenko called the killing an ambush against an unsuspecting victim and said the filing represented a step toward accountability. He also said nothing in the court process can undo the harm to Nigah’s family.
The next phase will be procedural, not investigative in public view. Jimenez is expected back in Ventura County Superior Court on April 28 at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 13. At arraignment, the court could take a plea, set future dates and address further custody or scheduling issues. Prosecutors have identified the charge and special allegations, but they have not publicly laid out all evidence they intend to use. Defense filings and later hearings may show how the DNA evidence is challenged or presented.
The case now stands between two timelines: the 2014 morning when Nigah died near his son’s school and the 2026 court process that began after the arrest. The next milestone is Jimenez’s scheduled arraignment on April 28.
Author note: Last updated 2026-04-28.