Asian woman stabbed to death while walking dogs in California neighborhood, police deny hate crime

Ke Chieh Meng, 64, was found with multiple stab wounds to her stomach around 7:30 a.m. Saturday and rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead, according to the Riverside Police Department.

Witnesses reported seeing a woman dressed in black approach Meng, who was walking her two small dogs, confront her and then begin stabbing.

The suspect, who fled, was later captured and identified as Darlene Stephanie Montoya, a 23-year-old transient from Monterey Park.

Darlene Montoya, left, has been accused of fatally stabbing Ke Chieh Meng, right.

Montoya has been charged with murder, weapons violation and suspicion of being under the influence of an illegal substance. She is being held without bail.

Last week, Montoya was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon after she allegedly attacked a woman with a skateboard; she was released from custody with a “Notice to Appear” citation due to Riverside’s COVID-19 protocols.

But police say that Montoya’s attack was not a hate crime, despite not having determined a motive.

“Our detectives have been talking with the suspect and based on what’s she’s been saying, there’s nothing to suggest that she attacked the victim because she is Asian,” Officer Ryan Rails told CBS Los Angeles. “But we do have some concerns about her mental health and substance abuse.”