Man Slain, Woman Beaten by 3 Robbers in Van Nuys Home

Three robbers broke into the home of a Van Nuys woman while she was taking a bath late Sunday, attacked her and then stabbed her roommate to death when he surprised them, Los Angeles police said Monday.

The 37-year-old woman was taking a bath about 10:30 p.m. when she heard noises inside her home in the 14500 block of Killion Street, police said. They said she got out of the tub and walked into her bedroom, where three men demanded money and jewelry.

“They slapped her and apparently beat her until she was unconscious,” Detective Mel Arnold said. He said the woman was not sexually assaulted. She was treated at a nearby hospital for minor injuries.

The roommate, Steve Eldridge, 27, a self-employed landscaper and co-owner of the house, arrived home a short time later and surprised the intruders in his bedroom, police said. Eldridge died after being stabbed several times.

The robbers fled and were believed to have taken money and household goods, Arnold said.

The woman regained consciousness shortly before midnight and called police and an ambulance.

The same house was robbed last month by two men while Eldridge was home. Police are investigating whether the two break-ins are related, Arnold said. Details of the earlier robbery were not released, but Arnold said that “if Eldridge received any injuries at that time, they were very minor.”