Boy, 8, a Witness to Mother’s Fatal Beating

A 34-year-old woman was beaten to death Thursday by her live-in boyfriend as their 8-year-old son watched, Los Angeles police said.

Luis Perez, 31, arrested on suspicion of murder at his Orion Avenue home, was taken to the Devonshire Division jail, where he is being held without bail.

The couple had two children, the boy and a 6-year-old daughter, who did not witness the incident, according to police.

The children are in the custody of the Department of Children’s Services, pending notification of other family members. The victim was not identified Friday because police were having difficulty finding next of kin because the couple are recent immigrants from Latin America.

“It appears she died of blunt-force trauma. It was not a pretty sight,” said LAPD Homicide Det. Marshall White.

Perez’s blood-stained clothes made it easy for responding officers to identify him, White said.

The couple started arguing about 4:35 p.m. Thursday inside their second-story apartment, and ended up on the stairwell, police said.

“They’ve had disputes before, according to witnesses,” White said.

During the beating, numerous onlookers pleaded, unsuccessfully, with Perez to stop, White said.

“There were multiple blunt-force wounds on the head--I mean multiple,” said Det. Mike Oppelt, who attended the autopsy on Friday and counted more than 10 such wounds.

Perez is due to be arraigned next week, White said.