Hideko Oyama, 74

Died Jan. 5, 2010 at 12:45 p.m.

Hideko Oyama, a 74-year-old Asian woman, was stabbed several times and died Tuesday, Jan. 5, in the 400 block of East 4th Street in downtown Los Angeles, authorities said.

Oyama was a manager at the Chetwood Hotel, where she was found dead, police said.

Jian Hong Li, a 39-year-old Chinese national who lived in the Chetwood Hotel, was taken into custody Tuesday on suspicion of murder. He is being held in jail in lieu of $1 million bond, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Investigators said the motive for the stabbing was robbery. Li, who had abandoned his room the day of the murder, became a person of interest for investigators.

“As a resident of the hotel, we had wanted to interview Mr. Li, but he had disappeared,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the downtown detective division. “Detectives followed leads from Los Angeles to Camarillo, only to discover him walking on 1st Street, just east of the Los Angeles River.”

Investigators said items that pointed to a possible connection to the crime were found in Li's room, but details were not released.

“Once the detectives interviewed Li, they were able to develop enough probable cause to arrest him for murder,” Vernon said.

The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, he added.

— Ruben Vives

Photo: The location where Hideko Oyama was stabbed. Credit: Sarah Ardalani / Los Angeles Times