Suspect in deadly Lafayette stabbing apparently targeted victim

LAFAYETTE, Calif. - A troubling Facebook post has emerged suggesting the suspect in a deadly weekend stabbing in Lafayette may have targeted the victim.

Neighbors say they're stunned by the violence in a city unaccustomed to such violence.

"It’s horrifying. It’s really, really scary," said Christina Coleridge, who saw the suspect being taken into custody by Lafayette police.

"He was handcuffed, and he had plastic bags on his hands, and they had him stand up to, I believe, take a blood test," Coleridge said.

Suspect arrested near crime scene

What we know:

Lafayette police were called to a home on Westminster Place at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday to investigate reports of a suspicious person. Officers went inside the home and found Christopher Jaber, 34, dead from stab wounds. KTVU has learned from law enforcement sources the victim was attacked with a hatchet.

Police found the suspect, David Swank Prince, 35, walking nearby and arrested him on suspicion of murder.

Facebook post month before slaying

What they're saying:

In February, a month before the homicide, someone who shares the suspect's name referenced the victim and his address on a Facebook post.

The post read, "if you need the chaos of the supernatural to end, Chris Jaber 34 aka the eye resides at (house number redacted) westminster pl lafayette ca. Go with God."

Then, a week before the homicide, the same person then responded to that original post, writing, "Can someone please kill this man."

"The suspect was looking for his victim. Either he knew him, or he had definitely targeted him based on that Facebook post that we saw," Coleridge said.

The post has been making the rounds in the neighborhood. Coleridge says only the suspect, apparently, could decipher it. 

"Obviously, there were some strange thoughts going through his mind, and he took it upon himself to, whatever, solve his problem that there was, the world had," Coleridge said.

Motive not revealed

What we don't know:

The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, which polices Lafayette, did not address the Facebook post, nor discuss a motive or any relationship between the two men.

Court records show the victim at one point had been under a conservatorship. His family declined to comment. 

"Certainly the DA will use these statements as a road map to first-degree murder," said KTVU legal analyst Michael Cardoza.

Cardoza said if indeed the suspect is the author of the posts, there could be a strong case for premeditation and deliberation, the elements of first-degree murder. But Cardoza said the same post could also be used by the defense.

"A good defense attorney will use these statements as an indication, as a road map for them to a mental defense showing that he didn’t have the capacity, the mental capacity to take a life," Cardoza said.

What's next:

The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office will review the case before deciding whether to file formal charges. The suspect is being held in lieu of a bail amount of $1 million.

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on X @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan