10:34 PM, Oct 31, 2011
ALBION, NY - 45-year-old Kathleen Byham was stabbed to death Sunday night in a Walmart parking lot, according to Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess. She was leaving the store in Albion at about 7 p.m. Sunday when three men approached her. One of the men stabbed her repeatedly.
"This woman definitely qualifies as an innocent victim," Orleans County Undersheriff Steven D. Smith told WGRZ-TV.
Byham was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
"We never got a chance to speak with her," Smith said.
Sheriff's deputies believe the killing was a random act of violence which may have resulted from an attempted car robbery. There is no evidence to indicate that the defendant and victim knew each other according to police, who believe the defendant specifically targeted the victim only after she had exited the store and was walking towards her car.
Hess said Monday that 24-year-old Luis Rodriguez-Flamenco of Honduras, who police describe as being in the country illegally, has been charged with second-degree murder. He's being held in the Orleans county jail without bail. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday with legal representation for a formal arraignment.
In a statement filed in Albion Town Court and obtained by 2 On Your Side, Rodriguez-Flamenco allegedly told investigators he accompanied two friends to the Walmart to buy a cartridge for an air pistol, to use to scare another man who had pulled a knife on him.
He goes on to describe accosting Byham, who police say had relatives in Buffalo and had been living with a man whom they did not identify for 14 years.
"I ran up to her and I snatched her car keys and I started stabbing her with a small bladed kitchen knife... I don't know why I did it," is what Rodriguez-Flamenco allegedly told them.
Police spent much of Monday combing a recently cut corn field across the road from the WalMart searching for clues. Several witnesses described seeing a trio of men running toward the field following the stabbing.
"They (the witnesses) were close enough where they could provide us with some real good suspect description," Smith remarked.
Jeremy Millis of Albion chased the 3 suspects with his truck out of the parking lot and eventually offered clues to police on their whereabouts.
In his statement, Rodriguez-Flamenco allegedly told investigators, "I took her keys and ran across the street...I threw the knife and keys down somewhere in the field."
On Monday morning blood still stained the asphalt where the stabbing occurred, beneath a light pole which holds several security cameras, video tape from which police are also using in their investigation.
Two other men -- Mexican nationals who police say are also in the country illegally -- were with Rodriguez-Flamenco but did not participate directly in the attack. They have been apprehended and turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol.
One of them, Marcos Gomez-Perez gave a statement to police indicating he had no clue as to what was about to transpire when he watched Rodriguez-Flamenco approach Byham. "I was shocked and ran away. I did not expect him to stab her," he allegedly told police
Numerous law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation and apprehension of the suspects. The Albion Police Department, New York State Police, Niagara County Sheriff's Department and Buffalo Police Department aided the Orleans County Sheriff's Office in the arrest.
The men were located in a home on East State Street in the village of Albion approximately two hours after the stabbing, according to Smith.
WGRZ-TV, wgrz.com
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