Pretrial Hearing Set for Man Charged in Fatal Stabbing of Homeless Person in Pasadena

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, is set to appear at 8:30 a.m. in Department F of the Pasadena Courthouse. He faces murder charges in the Aug. 12, 2022, death of Alex Dominguez, a 43-year-old homeless man. 

Pasadena police officers responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call at about 10:53 p.m. in the 600 block of North Lake Avenue. They found Dominguez unresponsive in the street with multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. 

“Officers detained Lawson a short distance from the crime scene within a few minutes of the original call of assault with a deadly weapon,” Lt. Keith Gomez of the Pasadena Police Department said at the time. 

Lawson, then 26, was arrested and booked for murder. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged him with murder on Aug. 16, 2022. He has remained in custody with bail set at $2 million. 

Authorities said preliminary investigation suggested the attack was not random. The exact motive remains under investigation. 

The case has also generated civil litigation. Louis Dominguez and Teresa Dominguez, filing as successors to Alex Dominguez, initiated a lawsuit on Dec. 27, 2022. 

The civil lawsuit alleges Lawson was working as a security guard for Nationwide Guard Services when the stabbing occurred. The suit claims he was acting within his scope of employment while providing security for the 7-Eleven store’s parking lot at 690 Lake Avenue. 

Named defendants include Lawson, Nationwide Guard Services Inc., 7-Eleven Inc., and L&M Ventures LLC. The lawsuit alleges five causes of action: negligence, premises liability, negligent hiring and supervision, battery, and wrongful death. 

The lawsuit claims Dominguez was a business invitee of the 7-Eleven store where the incident occurred.