Man Charged In Fatal Stabbing Of Homeless Person Faces Pretrial Hearing Monday

A pretrial hearing is scheduled Monday for a Los Angeles man charged with fatally stabbing a homeless person in Pasadena nearly three years ago.

Sadarius Lawson, 27, was set to appear at 8:30 a.m. in Department F of Pasadena Courthouse, 300 E. Walnut St. He faces murder charges in the death of Alex Dominguez.

Pasadena police responded to the 600 block of North Lake Avenue on Aug. 12, 2022, at approximately 10:53 p.m. Officers found Dominguez unresponsive in the street with multiple stab wounds. The 43-year-old homeless man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police detained Lawson almost immediately.

“Officers detained Lawson a short distance from the crime scene within a few minutes of the original call of assault with a deadly weapon,” Keith Gomez of the Pasadena Police Department told media following the arrest.

Lawson was charged with murder on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022. He has remained in custody since his arrest with bail set at $2 million.

Court records show multiple preliminary hearing delays through April 2023. A previous pretrial hearing was scheduled for Feb. 6, 2024.

A civil lawsuit filed Dec. 27, 2022, alleges Lawson was working as a security guard for Nationwide Guard Services and acting within his scope as a security guard when the stabbing occurred. The lawsuit claims Dominguez was a business invitee of the 7-Eleven store located at 690 Lake Avenue, and that Nationwide Guard Services provided security for the store’s parking lot.

Louis Dominguez and Teresa Dominguez filed the civil suit as successors to Alex Dominguez against 7-Eleven, Inc., L&M Ventures, LLC and Nationwide Guard Services. They allege negligence, premises liability, negligent hiring and supervision, battery and wrongful death.

Police said in August 2022 that the investigation was ongoing and the motive behind the attack remained unknown. In statements made shortly after the arrest, police said they had not yet identified what led to the attack.