Irvine Stabbing Victim Critically Hurt; 2 Women Held

IRVINE — Two Anaheim women were in custody Friday as suspects in a stabbing attack on a third woman at an Irvine adult education center, police said.

The victim, Lisa M. Luppi, 37, of Santa Ana, was in critical but stable condition at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.

Nadine Celeste Anastasia and Marianne Laprairie Lucas, both 45, were being held Friday at the Orange County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail each, Irvine Police Sgt. Tom Little said.

The pair were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder for the Thursday attack on an instructor in a parking lot at the Learning Tree University, a continuing education center on Skypark Circle, Little said. The victim was stabbed multiple times.

Sgt. Phil Povey said investigators have not determined a motive for the stabbing, but said Luppi and Anastasia are cousins.

“The victim was lucky,” Povey said. “She called out for help and several witnesses responded, chasing off the suspects. That probably saved her.”

The two suspects were arrested without incident at an Anaheim home, Little said. Anastasia was treated at Irvine Medical Center for a cut on her hand and then jailed, Little said.