Southern California man charged with murder in stabbing on Interstate 5 near Newman
A Southern California man has been charged with murder in a fatal stabbing on Interstate 5 near Newman last week.
Just before 9 a.m. Friday, the California Highway Patrol responded to a report of a man bleeding on the southbound I-5 off ramp to Stuhr Road. The victim was found to have suffered severe injuries from an apparent stabbing and was declared dead on scene, according to the CHP.
Detectives from the Central Division’s Investigative Services Unit responded to the scene and learned that the suspect was traveling in a big rig associated with the victim, said CHP Sgt. Robert Montano.
Just after 10 a.m. CHP officers located the big rig in the parking lot of the Love’s Travel Stop in Santa Nella, just 16 miles south.
“A short time later, a male adult ... identified as Keith Alexander Forrest was seen exiting the convenience store within the Travel Stop and was taken into custody without incident,” according to a press release.
Forrest, 66 of Bellflower, was interviewed by CHP detectives and subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder.
The Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office identified the victim on Tuesday as 39-year-old Erin Anderson of San Bernardino.
Montano said the investigation is ongoing and many details were not released about the stabbing, including whether the suspect and victim knew each other, whether they had been traveling together, who called 911 and what motivated the attack.
Montano said he could say only that Anderson was killed on Interstate 5 not long before he was located and that the big rig was associated with him, but it’s unclear in what way.
Forrest was arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder. His bail was set at $2 million and he is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 20.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the CHP’s Central Division Investigative Services Unit at 559-603-7740.
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 2:30 PM.
