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Canyon Country Man Arrested On Murder Charge After Suspected Overdose

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Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man who is suspected to have overdosed on heroin, after another man was arrested for driving the deceased’s car shortly after his death.


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Kahlil Banks, 42, of Canyon Country was found dead in his apartment on the 28000 block of Sarabande Lane in Santa Clarita, officials said Friday.

Tommy Loaiza

Tommy Loaiza

Deputies arrested Tommy Loaiza, 38, of Canyon Country, after they allegedly found him in Banks car the following day. It was reported stolen on May 26, after Banks was found dead.

Banks was pronounced dead at the scene by Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel.

Deputies recovered an illegal substance and drug paraphernalia from the location. The deputies also discovered the victim’s vehicle was missing.

Later that day, Santa Clarita deputies received an LA Crime Stoppers tip naming a man involved with the death of the victim and stealing the victim’s vehicle.

Loaiza was arrested for driving the victim’s vehicle Wednesday, and a murder charge was later added to a grand theft auto charge.

Homicides detectives discovered Loaiza along with an additional suspect, 24-year-old Matthew Pontecorvo, entered the victim’s residence while he was deceased and stole several items, according to officials.

During the investigation into the narcotics-related death investigation of Banks, Homicide detectives learned several items were taken from the victim’s garage.

Amongst the items stolen were a 50-inch flat screen television, “Toshiba” laptop, a “GoPro” camera, and “Xbox” console controllers, a small television (unknown brand or color), a digital camera (unknown brand or color), and a red and white 2007 “Honda” CRF150R dirt bike with the number plate “12” on the side.

Officials believe Pontecorvo stole the dirt bike.  On Thursday, May 28, 2015 he was arrested and is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Loaiza is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.user38190-1432941881-media3

The investigation is still ongoing.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.  If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.

Three of the seven have been confirmed as drug-related, and four are awaiting toxicology results from the Coroner’s Office, but the suspected cause is drug use.

A Canyon Country man is suspected to have died from a drug overdose Tuesday morning, according to an official with the Coroner’s Office. His body was found in his apartment around 12:30 a.m. on the 28000 block of Sarabande Lane in Canyon Country.

The victim’s identification was not released pending the notification of his next of kin, officials said.

Homicide detectives are investigating the case, according to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Stationofficials.

Homicide officials didn’t respond to a request for comment on Thursday. He was found alone at the residence.

A stolen car investigation is also suspected to be a part of the death investigation, according to Sheriff’s Department arrest records.

Santa Clarita Valley deputies arrested a Canyon Country man in connection with the theft of the victim’s car.

Santa Clarita Valley deputies referred inquiries as to whether the two incidents were related, or any possible connection, to Homicide Bureau detectives, who were not available for comment.

Homicide detectives did not respond to any requests for comment about the death Wednesday or Thursday.

The man who’s suspected of killing himself is believed to have overdosed on heroin, but the official determination will not be made until a toxicology test is conducted by a medical examiner.

There were five confirmed drug overdose deaths all of last year, per Sheriff’s Department officials.

The numbers indicate another potential rise, after Santa Clarita saw a drop in overdose deaths following a “Heroin Kills” campaign two years ago.

There were five confirmed drug-related overdoses in 2010; seven in 2011; 16 in 2012; four in 2013; and then five last year, as well.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

KHTS AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio

Canyon Country Man Arrested On Murder Charge After Suspected Overdose

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.