Police obtain arrest warrant for stabbing at Lakeforest Mall

Friday, Nov. 3, 2006

Police have obtained a murder warrant for a 20-year-old Germantown man suspected of fatally stabbing his co-worker at J.C. Penney's in Lakeforest Mall Thursday afternoon.

Josue Ray Dupree has not been charged, but in a statement county police said they will serve the warrant for first-degree murder after his release from an area hospital. Dupree is being treated for non-life threatening injuries received when a truck hit him as he fled the mall, police said.

Police said Dupree was arguing with co-worker Ana Elisa Mejia Avila, 35, and then stabbed her multiple times in the upper torso. The cause of the argument and their relationship remains under investigation.

Dupree then fled the store and was struck by a Toyota pick-up truck while crossing Lost Knife Road, which is next to the mall, said Montgomery County Police spokesman Lt. Eric Burnett. Dupree continued to run and was arrested at about 3:15 p.m. in the 9500 block of Horizon Run Road.

Avila, of Germantown, was pronounced dead Thursday at an area hospital. Funeral service information was unavailable, and the family could not be reached for comment.

J.C. Penney's closed after the incident Thursday to allow a full police investigation, said company spokesman Tim Lyons by phone from the J.C. Penney's corporate headquarters in Plano, Texas.

The store opened on its regular schedule Friday, but Lyons noted the gravity of the crime must have shaken the nerves of local employees and customers.

“I think everyone is still trying to come to grips with what happened and to deal with the loss of the associate. We're trying to rally around the store, the team there and the associate's family and give all the support we can,“ he said. “Our deepest sympathy goes out to Ana's family. She was a valued member of our team and I know that her associates at the store will miss her.“

Lyons said the company is “going to try to determine if there's anything that we can do“ to improve security following the incident.

Lakeforest regularly boosts security during the holidays, but mall patrols do not include anchor stores such as J.C. Penney's, which employ private security, said Lakeforest General Manager Marion Julier.

“It is always sad to see any incidents happening within the stores,“ she said. “We try to make sure our customers and employees are safe and secure.“

Several Lakeforest shoppers milled around outside the store Thursday as police cordoned off the area.

‘‘There's your usual stalker that tries to take your packages, but as far as I know this is really bizarre,‘‘ said Diane Gray of Gaithersburg.

Shoppers Goug Cool of Frederick and Richard Day of Germantown said this was the first crime of this magnitude they'd heard of at the mall. Both said it wouldn't deter future visits.

Mariana Berez, an employee at Silver Diner which is located next to J.C. Penney, said her manager was in the retail store when security began ushering people outside. Berez said that ‘‘of course‘‘ the stabbing makes her worried.

‘‘I'm not safe,‘‘ said Berez of Germantown.

Detectives are asking anyone who may have information about the incident to call the homicide detectives at 240-773-5070. Those who wish to remain anonymous should call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).