Man Arrested in Fatal Stabbing of His Estranged Wife, 2 Daughters

An unemployed Pico-Union man described by police as a cocaine abuser who was once convicted of murder has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing his wife and two young daughters to death, authorities said Monday.

William Maynor, 32, was taken into custody at 6:40 p.m. Sunday--less than eight hours after his mother-in-law stumbled upon the grisly murder scene--when he apparently returned to watch the investigation of the crime, officials said.

After killing his wife, Monica, 31, and daughters Megan, 6, and Michelle, 3, Maynor fled in his wife’s car with their third child, 4-year-old Melanie, police said. The girl--who police say probably did not witness the killings--was recovered unharmed.

Detectives said Maynor had served a prison term for murder as a teenager. They said he met his wife while living in a halfway house near the neighborhood.

A 33-year-old Baldwin Park man who identified himself only as a friend of Maynor’s said the suspect was having severe financial troubles. He said Maynor had not been employed for a year.

Police said Maynor and his wife had been separated for several months and were getting a divorce.

On the day before the killings, authorities said, Maynor had argued with his wife over whether he should take Melanie on a trip. Monica Maynor refused, saying that her husband was under the influence of crack cocaine half the time, Los Angeles Police Lt. Dan Hills said. “The argument spilled out onto the front lawn,” he said.

Maynor left and returned shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday, argued again with his wife, and allegedly stabbed her and the two girls, then fled with Melanie.

Police do not know if Maynor was under the influence of drugs at the time of the stabbings, Hills said.

The three bodies were discovered by Monica Maynor’s mother, Socorro Soriano, at 11 a.m., police said. All three had multiple stab wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Later that day, family members spotted Maynor near the house at the corner of Union Avenue and West 18th Street with Melanie; police chased him on foot, quickly apprehending him, authorities said. The girl was released to relatives.

A 10-year-old boy, believed to be Monica Maynor’s son by another man, was staying at Soriano’s house at the time of the slayings and was not harmed, officials said.

“What makes it difficult for all of us is the youth and innocence of the victims. Most of us have kids or have had kids, so it’s tough to see something like that,” Hills said.

News of the deaths shocked the students and faculty of Norwood Elementary School, where Megan attended kindergarten last year and Soriano has been a secretary for 20 years.

Counselors from the school district’s psychological services met with youngsters and teachers to talk about the crimes, said Principal Rita Flynn.

“This has been an enormous tragedy for all of us,” Flynn said.

In memory of the victims, a tree planting has been scheduled for Thursday at 9 a.m. on Oak Street, in front of the school, Flynn said.

Flynn also sent home flyers with each student discussing the tragedy and announcing a trust fund that has been set up for Soriano and the surviving children and to help cover burial costs. Donations can be sent to: Norwood Student Body Fund, c/o Soriano Family, 2020 Oak St., Los Angeles, CA 90007.