A homeless man could face more than 51 years in prison after a jury convicted him of fatally stabbing a man waiting at a West Covina bus stop on July 7 and of brandishing a knife at a Burger King cashier in Pomona a week later.
Jurors on Tuesday, Oct. 22 found Rodney Rene Chapman Jr. guilty of the first-degree murder of Kevin Davis, 64, of North Hollywood and found true the allegation that he used a knife during the murder, said Deputy District Attorney Phillip Stirling who prosecuted the case.
“He did not know the victim. It was a random attack,” Stirling said.
The jury also convicted the 34-year-old Chapman of exhibiting a weapon in a threatening manner, a misdemeanor.
He will return to Pomona Superior Court Jan. 15 for a status conference on the sanity phase of the trial.
Chapman, who represented himself, claimed during his opening statement and closing argument that he was mentally ill, but he didn’t present any evidence, Stirling said.
Chapman did not testify.
Davis often went to Deane’s Bar and Thrill in Rancho Cucamonga and the Galaxy Sports Bar in West Covina, according to his friend Jeff Spilky.
Spilky was with Davis at the bar in Rancho Cucamonga the night of July 6, a Saturday, then later took him to a bus stop.
“He wanted to go to the Galaxy Bar,” Spilky said.
Davis was at the West Covina bar for about three hours before leaving and walking about a quarter mile to the bus stop at West Covina Parkway and California Avenue, where he was murdered at 2:34 a.m. on July 7, the prosecutor said.
“He was waiting for a bus to go home,” West Covina Detective John Vega said, adding the attack was caught on camera.
Davis died from a stab wound to the chest, according to the medical examiner’s case number.
Chapman crossed paths with the police five days before the murder wearing the same clothing that was seen on the video, Vega said. Police went to some kind of disturbance at Sunset Avenue and Francisquito Avenue. The suspect turned out to be Chapman.
“During the contact with the police, he identified himself,” Vega said.
Chapman frequented West Covina, where he donated plasma for money, the detective said.
Police believe that’s why he was in the city and wandered around before the stabbing.
On July 14, a man with a knife approached a register at the Burger King at 2085 West Holt Ave. in Pomona and tried to slash a cashier, Pomona police said. The cashier wasn’t injured.
Officers later arrested the man, who turned out to be Chapman. They also found out he was wanted for the West Covina murder.
Chapman remains in custody.
