A 60-year-old man charged with raping and stabbing a woman to death in front of her children in their South Los Angeles home more than 40 years ago is due in a downtown courtroom Monday afternoon.
Kenneth Ray Matthews — also known as Kenneth Ray Boone — is scheduled to be arraigned on one count each of murder, forcible rape and attempted first-degree residential robbery in connection with the Dec. 6, 1977, killing of Leona Davis.
The 25-year-old victim was attacked at her home in the 8700 block of Menlo Avenue just after putting her 4- and 7-year-old sons to bed. After raping her and stabbing her in the neck, Davis’ attacker stole items from the house and ran off.
DNA evidence collected at the victim’s home linked Matthews to the crime, according to prosecutors.
The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegations of murder during the commission of a rape and murder during the commission of a robbery. Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty for Matthews, who was arrested last Tuesday by detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division and is being held without bail.