Pasadena Man Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Murdering 76-Year-Old Arcadia Woman

A Pasadena man — who had been part of a construction crew that had worked at an Arcadia home  — was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of a 76-year- old woman whose body was discovered in her backyard.

Superior Court Judge Terry Bork denied the defense’s motion for a new trial for Heber Enoc Diaz, saying there was “overwhelming” evidence of his guilt in the April 9, 2019, killing of Chyong Jen Tsai.

The judge called the slaying a “brutal, heinous, violent attack” against a vulnerable victim and said it had caused “devastating consequences” and lifelong pain to the woman’s family.

Diaz, 33, was convicted Nov. 7 of first-degree murder.

Jurors also found true the special circumstance allegations of murder during the commission of a robbery or attempted robbery and murder during the commission of a burglary or attempted burglary, along with allegations that he had personally used a box cutter, a drywall saw and a hammer during the commission of the crime.

Diaz was also convicted of three counts of burglary and one count each of robbery and dependent adult abuse resulting in death.

In an emotional statement in court Monday, one of the victim’s daughters, Nancy Tsai, said her mother “saved every, every penny” and “lived a life of frugality” in order to move forward with the construction project. She noted that her mother served breakfast daily to the construction crew.

She said that Diaz “stole my mom’s dream to live her life out” in her home and “devastated our family.”

Another of the victim’s daughters, Patty Tsai Thurlow, called her mother’s absence “excruciatingly painful,” telling the judge that her father has become a ghostly version of himself since the killing.

The victim’s young grandson, meanwhile, called what had happened a “devastating event.”

During closing arguments in Diaz’s trial last month, Deputy District Attorney Miriam Avalos told jurors that it was “ludicrous” for the defendant to claim to Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives that the victim attacked him first, with the prosecutor saying that Tsai tried to run away from him and screamed for help.

The woman was stabbed multiple times, her throat was cut twice and she had injuries that were consistent with her being hit by a hammer and choked, Avalos told jurors, noting that she was sorry she had to show them graphic photos of the woman.

During an undercover jail operation after his arrest, Diaz said the woman called him by his name and asked him what he was doing on the property, according to the prosecutor.

“As soon as he saw her, Ms. Tsai was going to die,” Avalos told jurors, saying that Diaz caused the victim “unimaginable pain.”

The prosecutor told the jury that Diaz had also been involved in another burglary at the property about three weeks earlier while he was still working there.

Diaz’s attorney, Simon Aval, countered that his client solely returned to the property where he had worked “with the intention of stealing tools.”

The defense lawyer said there was “no plan for Mr. Diaz to hurt anybody that night,” telling jurors that he believed it was “clear that he (Diaz) did not go there with an intention (of) hurting anybody.”

The defense lawyer suggested that the attack was a “crime of impulse” and was not premeditated.

Aval noted that the victim had been described as a “wonderful lady,” and that it would be human nature to feel emotional about the graphic photos of Tsai’s injuries.

But he said it doesn’t mean that the crime should be over-charged.

He argued that nothing was taken from the woman in her presence and said there was “insufficient evidence” to support a “special circumstances type of murder.”

In her rebuttal argument, the prosecutor questioned why Diaz would ride a bicycle to the home if he was going to steal “very, very heavy tools,” and said the only reason would be if he was going to take Tsai’s Lexus, for which the keys were inside her house. The vehicle was found about three miles from where the defendant lived, she said.

Diaz — who was linked to the killing through cellphone records and DNA — was arrested 10 days later by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies.

He has remained behind bars since then.