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Roommate arrested in slaying of 67-year-old-man in Westmont

Westmont, an unincorporated neighborhood in the South L.A. region of Los Angeles County, has one of the highest homicides rates in the county.
(Homicide Report / Los Angeles Times)
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Authorities said Tuesday that they had arrested a man suspected of killing his 67-year-old roommate at their shared home in Westmont on Sunday.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies detained Toriano Benford, 43, at 12:20 p.m. on Monday as a suspect in the slaying of Ernest Dewitt Brannon, 67. Benford’s bail was set at about $1 million.

Authorities said Benford and Brannon, a minister, were both renting a room in a house in Westmont, an unincorporated neighborhood with one of the highest homicide rates in the county. At least 14 other people have been killed there in the last 12 months.

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A neighbor discovered Brannon’s body on Sunday in the back bedroom of the house. The home had been ransacked and there were signs of a struggle, authorities said. It was unclear if any property was stolen.

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office said Brannon was killed by strangulation and injuries to his neck.

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Benford was expected to appear in court Wednesday morning.

frank.shyong@latimes.com

Twitter: @frankshyong

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