Police Seek Motive in Fatal Stabbing

The Beverly Hills Police Department arrested three people early Wednesday in connection with the stabbing death of Katsutoshi Takazoto, 21, outside a home in the Trousdale Estates section of the city.

The three were taken into custody about 5 a.m., BHPD Sgt. Shan Davis told Patch. The suspects' names were not released, and detectives were still investigating to determine a motive for Tuesday's fatal stabbing, he said.

"I'm reluctant to discuss the nature of this case," Davis told Patch Wednesday in an interview at the BHPD's headquarters on Rexford Drive. "It's being held close to the vest, because there is a lot of sensitive information, and we don't want to jeopardize the investigation."

He declined to say where the three suspects were arrested or if they had been taken into custody by Beverly Hills or Santa Monica police officers. "At the earliest," Davis said, "more details were expected to be released within the next 24 hours."

According to media reports, Takazato, known as 'Tony,' lived at the multi-million dollar mansion on the 1800 block of Carla Ridge where the crime occurred, said L.A. County Coroner's Lt. Cheryl MacWillie. The home is owned by Fuminori Hayashida, who produced several films in the 1990s and 2000s, including Lured Innocence with Dennis Hopper.

The murder of Takazato was the second homicide this year in Beverly Hills, authorities said. On May 4, Diane Newlander was found dead in her home on the 400 block of South Swall Drive.

Beverly Hills police believe Newlander, 73, was a victim of an apparent murder-suicide. Before the May incident, the most recent homicide in Beverly Hills was in December 2008.

This report was compiled with information from City News Service.