Fugitive in Kidnapping, Slaying Found

A Los Angeles man suspected in the kidnap, rape and murder of Glendale resident Roberta Happe was arrested in Saginaw, Mich., Friday night at the apartment of a female friend, police said.

Saginaw police arrested Jason Thompson, 23, after one of his relatives tipped off detectives, according to Culver City police.

When Saginaw officers entered the apartment, Thompson locked himself in a bathroom and refused to come out, said Saginaw Police Lt. Mark Babcock. He surrendered without incident after officers sprayed Mace under the door, Babcock said.

Thompson was being held at the Saginaw County Jail without bail as authorities seek his extradition to California.

The victim’s mother, Edie Happe of La Crescenta, said she and her husband, Pete, were relieved by the arrest Friday, but were girding themselves for the difficult emotional road ahead.

“It was just incredible,” said Happe. “We are all very relieved, and we are optimistic that things will go well. But it’s a long haul from here. We want to make sure we do everything we can to make things go smoothly toward conviction.”

Roberta Happe, a USC graduate, worked in Los Angeles at a nonprofit center dedicated to helping the disabled.

“The words we used in her obituary were ‘her infectious ability to brighten up a room’--she had such a positive attitude about everything she did,” Edie Happe said.

On Thursday, the district attorney’s office issued a felony arrest warrant for Thompson, charging him with murder with the special circumstance of torture, murder in the commission of kidnapping, kidnapping for carjacking, robbery, forcible rape, sexual assault and ATM robbery,

Thompson could face the death penalty on those charges, but that determination will not be made until after a preliminary hearing, district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.

Culver City police say Thompson had been loitering in the area of the office building where Happe worked, near Wilshire Boulevard and South Berendo Street, on the afternoon of Feb. 22.

About 6 p.m., Thompson confronted Happe in an adjacent parking garage as she walked to her car after work, said Culver City Police Lt. Wally Du Val. Less than an hour later, he allegedly forced her to withdraw $400 in cash from an automated teller machine in the 4400 block of Crenshaw Boulevard.

At 8:15 p.m., passersby found Happe’s body in the parking lot of a Little League ball field in Culver City Park. She had been stabbed, strangled and beaten, Culver City Police Det. Mike Poulin said.

Once Happe was identified, police scrutinized her bank statements, eventually finding ATM surveillance photos of her and Thompson withdrawing money on Crenshaw Boulevard. Members of the public identified Thompson in these photos, which were then matched with his old arrest mug shots.

Before Friday’s arrest, Poulin said Thompson’s relatives in Los Angeles and out of state were cooperating with police, and hoped to see him taken into custody.

Thompson’s step-grandmother, Mira Adams, 69, said the family--who hadn’t seen the suspect in about a week--was having a hard time with the news.

“And then I’m thinking also . . . about the family of the daughter who was killed,” she said. “That’s a hard thing too, you know. I’m just glad they got him, but I can’t even think . . . So many people been hurt, you know.”

Worked as Security Guard

Police say Thompson falsely claims membership in West Los Angeles’ Marvin Street Gangster Crips. Adams described him as a kind young man who had worked as a security guard and played drums on Sundays at Second Adams Missionary Baptist Church. Du Val said he is a former Jordan High School football player.

State records show Thompson was licensed to work as a security guard in August 1998. The license expired on Aug. 31, 2000.

Culver City Sgt. Dan Irvin said Thompson was arrested in November on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, but he was unsure of the disposition of the case.

Forensic evidence from Happe’s abandoned car, which was found Tuesday by the LAPD’s Rampart Division, also helped police identify the suspect.

Friends and family will meet at 4 p.m. today at Crescenta Valley High School to remember Happe, whom many described as an ebullient people person.

Crescenta Valley Principal Gary Talbert said that in a high school of 2,400 students, Happe was a standout--a strong student who acted in school plays and was elected director of school spirit.

“When I came here in the middle of the 1994-95 school year, I knew maybe 10 or 12 adults on campus, but I knew absolutely no students,” he said. “Roberta, from the very beginning, really reached out. She checked on me once a week, and when she graduated she gave me a little present. . . . That’s rare for a high school senior.”

Edie Happe said that as a young adult, her daughter enjoyed hanging out with her friends and going to concerts--country music was a special favorite, she said.

In college, Roberta was an ardent USC sports booster and volunteer. Soon after graduating in 1999, Happe began as a temporary office worker at the nonprofit Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center, which helps the developmentally disabled. The agency eventually hired her as a full-time resource center coordinator, her mother said.

Staff members at the center said Friday that they will miss Happe’s caring, giving personality.

“She was very perceptive,” co-worker Olivia Hinojosa said. “If anybody looked like something was wrong, [Happe] would say, ‘You look like you need a hug,’ and she would give one to you.

“She was our personal Tinkerbell,” Hinojosa said, “who sprinkled her pixie dust on us.” Officials at Crescenta Valley High are expecting a large crowd at today’s ceremony, which will feature photos of Roberta’s high school, college and professional life set to some of her favorite songs.

Noting that the family pronounces its name “happy,” Talbert said, “If there was ever a kid who had the right last name, it was her.”

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Times staff writer Dalondo Moultrie contributed to this story.