Lafayette Street Sealed Off After Homicide Saturday; Chico Man Under Arrest

Curious neighbors were asked to leave the street and return home following a sizable police response to a residence on Westminster Place in Lafayette on Saturday, scene of a suspected stabbing.

Heavily-armed officers from several local agencies descended on the quiet residential street at 11:36 am Saturday, quickly sealing off the area and ordering gathering clusters of civilians back into their homes.

Police were directed to the residence for a welfare check after a “suspicious person” call, according to a sheriff’s press release. Officers entered the home and found a man dead inside. His name, age and cause of death has not been released.

A person identified as David Prince, 35, of Chico was taken into custody for investigation after he was located walking not far from the crime scene. Prince was later formally arrested for the homicide, according to the sheriff’s office, with bail set at $1 million.

Internet posts of a person identifying himself as Prince and referencing the individual found dead on Westminster Place are circulating – but their origin and veracity have yet to be established. What relationship existed – if any – between Prince and his victim has also not yet been established.

Neighbors have identified the deceased as Christopher Jaber, 34, of Lafayette. They said Jaber had mental health issues and lived at home with his parents at 5 Westminster Place.

What tie existed between the two men has yet to be addressed.

Jaber’s murder was the first to occur in Lafayette since Pamela Vitale was found murdered in her home October 15, 2005. A neighbor, Scott Dyleski, was arrested on suspicion of committing the murder five days later.

In 1998, resident Janet Daher was killed during a random robbery of her Rose Lane home.

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