Stabbing Death Ends in 2 Arrests

A live-in caregiver and her boyfriend were arrested Monday after he allegedly stabbed a disabled man to death in his Fullerton home and then carjacked their roommates’ truck, authorities said.

Police arrested Edward Patrick Cain III, 32, and his girlfriend as they returned to the truck, which officers found parked behind a restaurant in downtown Fullerton hours after the morning attack, said police Sgt. Ron Gillett.

The caregiver’s involvement was not clear, he said, and authorities were trying to determine her identity.

The victim, Steve Hart, 50, who neighbors said hurt himself in a construction accident and used a wheelchair, had hired Cain’s girlfriend to care for him, and the couple moved in, Gillett said. He did not know how long the couple had shared Hart’s home in the 2800 block of Sequoia Avenue.

Gillett said another couple who rented a room from Hart told police they were confronted by Cain on Monday morning.

He waved a rifle or shotgun at them and ordered them to leave the house, Gillett said.

When the housemates tried to leave in their truck, Cain and his girlfriend followed them and “basically carjacked them,” Gillett said.

When the couple returned to the house, they found Hart stabbed to death. They flagged down firefighters nearby who were on an unrelated call, Gillett said. The housemates heard no commotion overnight, he said. Detectives were investigating, and details, including the possible motive, were not known.

Gillett said neighbors described Hart as a giving person. “He opened his house to these people,” Gillett said of Cain and his girlfriend.