The stabbing death of a young doctor in West Hollywood appeared to have been a murder-attempted suicide according to a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The man who was murdered has been identified by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office as Kurtland Ma, 34, an emergency medicine specialist who graduated from Yale University School of Medicine in 2008. The identity of his boyfriend has not yet been revealed.
Deputies were called to their apartment at 939 Palm Avenue at 4:56 p.m. Saturday when someone reported suspicious activity, according to Crystal Hernandez of the Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau.
“Upon their arrival, the deputies were informed that the individual who lived at the location may have killed his roommate and was thinking about killing himself. After no response in the apartment, the deputies forced entry and discovered the victim,” Hernandez said. Ma was on the kitchen floor with apparent stab wounds, she said. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Deputies found his partner hiding in the bathroom, she said. “The suspect appeared to have taken a large amount of pills and was transported to a local hospital for treatment and evaluation prior to booking.”
Detectives have some indication of a possible motive, according to Hernandez. “Preliminary information indicated that the suspect and the victim were in an intimate relationship and were living together at the location,” Hernandez said.