The Long Beach community is reeling after a 22-year-old California State University, Long Beach student was killed over the weekend in what appears to have been a roommate dispute.
On October 5 at around 10:40 a.m., Long Beach police responded to reports of a stabbing at a residence in the 1300 block of Temple Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found two males with stab wounds to the upper body. One was rushed to the hospital in “stable condition”; the second victim — later identified as CSULB industrial design student Spencer Timms — was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office listed his cause of death as multiple stab wounds to the chest.
The suspect, a 34‑year-old Long Beach resident named Alejandro Iniestra, remained on site and was taken into custody without incident, authorities say. While the motive is still under investigation, officials believe Iniestra first attacked one roommate before turning on Timms.
He has since been booked on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, with bail set at $2 million.
University officials issued a statement confirming Timms was a student, saying, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our student, Spencer Timms. We have been in touch with Spencer’s family and have been reaching out to and supporting his Beach classmates and faculty.”
Fellow students expressed shock and sorrow over the violence, emphasizing how uncommon such tragedy is on campus. “You never expect something like that,” one student told KTLA, continuing, “Everybody here is super nice. So you would never think something like that would happen.”
The identity of the roommate who survived has not been released. Investigators plan to refer the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for formal filing.
Anyone with information is asked to reach out to Long Beach homicide detectives Juan Carlos Reyes or Jesus Espinoza at 562‑570‑7244. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through LA Crime Stoppers at 800‑222‑TIPS or via LACrimeStoppers.org.
