Man Charged in Death of Long Beach Woman

A 22-year-old Ventura County man was charged Wednesday in the slaying of a Long Beach woman who was stabbed to death as police stood outside her front door waiting for her to let them into the yard.

Nicholas Alexander Harvey was being held without bail in Monday’s slaying of Lynn Schockner, 50, a resident of the affluent Bixby Knolls area. He is charged with murder during the commission of both a burglary and a robbery, special circumstances that could lead to a death sentence.

“We are confident that we have the person responsible for the crime in custody, and the suspect has been very cooperative,” Long Beach police spokeswoman Nancy Pratt said.

Prosecutors will not decide whether to seek the death penalty until later in the case.

Police who arrested Harvey at the scene recovered jewelry, gloves and a dagger believed to be the murder weapon, district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.

Officers had quickly responded to a call about a possible prowler from a neighbor of Schockner’s who saw a man loitering and peering over a rear wall of her property about 11 a.m. Two officers knocked on Schockner’s front door while a third went to an alley behind her ranch-style house. When Schockner answered, the officers asked her to unlock her back gate so they could check the yard, authorities said.

She left to get the key and closed the door because her dog was barking at the officers. After several minutes, authorities said, the officer in the alley radioed that he had captured a man climbing the fence.

Officers then broke into the house and found Schockner dead of stab wounds.

Police believe the intruder killed Schockner and then committed the robbery.

A second man, also from Ventura County, who surrendered to authorities and is believed to have dropped off Harvey in the alley shortly before the slaying, was still being questioned in connection with the crime.

Times staff writer Eric Slater contributed to this report.