San Diego police arrested a 39-year-old man suspected in the fatal stabbing of a clerk inside an adult bookstore in the Midway District hours after the victim’s body was found.

Shaun Ward was arrested in San Diego around 11 p.m. Monday, said police homicide Lt. Anthony Dupree. Ward was booked into jail on suspicion of murder and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

Officers arrived at the X-Spot bookstore on Midway Drive near Kemper Street around 12:45 p.m. after someone called in to say it appeared a clerk at the store was down near the counter and register area.

Firefighter medics arrived on scene first — a fire station is near the business — and went in to find the woman dead. The medics backed out of the bookstore until police arrived to clear the scene and ensure the suspect wasn’t inside, Dupree said.


Dupree said the victim, identified as 65-year-old Diane Spagnuolo of El Cajon, had been stabbed.

Police on Monday night released four images of a man believed to have been involved in the killing that had been captured by surveillance cameras in the shop.

Dupree wouldn’t say where Ward was arrested, other than to say it was inside a residence.

He said police do not have a motive for the slaying. No other suspects were being sought.


San Diego police were investigating a homicide at an adult bookstore in the Midway District Monday. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune)

A man who identified himself as John Paul told reporters the slaying happened “about 100 feet away from where I sit every day” for his job at a nearby business.

Someone went inside the bookstore, found the victim and came outside asking for help, saying there was blood everywhere, Paul said. A neighbor from the area who knows CPR went inside to see if she could help.

“There was nothing she could do,” Paul said, adding that the woman who went in the store said it looked like the victim had been dead for “a couple hours.”


“It’s just really shocking,” Paul said. “It’s hard to believe and leaves you with a very uneasy feeling.”


Twitter: @karenkucher

(619) 293-1350

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com


UPDATES:

7:00 a.m.: This article was updated with information about a suspect being arrested.

10:45 p.m.: This article was updated with surveillance photos of the suspect.

5 p.m.: This article was updated with information from a police briefing at the scene.


3 p.m.: This article was updated with quotes.

This article was originally published at 1:45 p.m.