Women Sought After Credit Cards Turn Up in Home of Suicide : Crime: Orange County sheriff’s officers want to ask them why a man who was to be questioned in the death of his female tenant had the cards.

Orange County sheriff’s officers said Wednesday that they are looking for several women whose credit cards were found in the home of a Lakewood man who killed himself last month after investigators arrived at his door to ask him about the slaying of his female tenant.

Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson said investigators want to ask the women how Steven Christopher Walters may have acquired their cards and some other personal possessions found in his home and garage. So far, officials have been unable to track down any of the women, Olson said.

Investigators also found in Walters’ possession numerous personal effects of Lori Mae Calhoun, 41, a Long Beach woman whose body was found in the alley of a Laguna Hills industrial park on March 21. An autopsy determined that Calhoun, who was in the process of renting a room from Walters, died of strangulation.

Also of “special interest” to investigators, Olson said, was a large shelf in Walters’ bedroom containing numerous, neatly arranged stuffed animals that were apparently given him by women friends.

“Walters had dated several women and would encourage them to buy him a stuffed bear or animal to put on the shelf,” Olson said.

Walters is the prime suspect in Calhoun’s slaying, Olson said, but he emphasized that there is not enough evidence to suggest that he harmed any other women.

He added that his department is sharing information with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating the March 19 strangulation of a 16-year-old Cypress girl whose body was found in a Lakewood flood-control channel about two miles from Walters’ home. The body of Zuleima Valdez, a freshman at Cypress High School, was found partially buried beneath a pile of pine needles in the Coyote Creek flood channel near her home.

Olson declined to comment on any connection between the deaths of Valdez and Calhoun. Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials could not be reached for comment late Wednesday, but in the past they have said that they have no evidence linking the two. Both victims were found fully clothed and both had been strangled.

Walters, 30, had a prison record. He was sentenced to five years in 1980 after he was convicted of sexually molesting a child under the age of 14 in Long Beach. He was paroled in January, 1983, but was rearrested shortly after that for stealing a car. He was sentenced to three additional years in prison and was eventually released in June, 1987.

Walters was not a suspect when two Orange County sheriff’s investigators drove to his two-bedroom house at about 3:30 a.m. to ask him about Calhoun’s death, Olson said. They wanted to question him because Calhoun was in the process of renting a room from Walters, who in turn was renting his house from someone else.

After knocking on his door and receiving no response, the investigators called the house from their car phone and asked Walters to come to the front door. Walters said “just a minute,” hung up the phone and turned off the lights. A few seconds later, a gunshot was heard. Investigators found Walters lying on the bathroom floor, dead from a .38-caliber gunshot wound to the head.

In a subsequent search of Walters’ house, sheriff’s investigators found numerous items belonging to Calhoun. Among other things, Olson said, her personal appointment book, a set of car keys and her identification were found.

A fresh pack of cigarettes presumed bought by Calhoun the night of her death was found in the living room, Olson said. Her watch was found hanging on the gear shift lever in Walters’ company van. A set of handcuffs was also found in the van. Marks found on Calhoun’s wrists were consistent with handcuffs, Olson added.

Calhoun’s car, a white 1985 Honda Accord, was found alongside a freeway within walking distance of Walters’ home. A newspaper clipping was found in the car in which Walters had advertised a room for rent--to women only.