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Two men arrested for killing Palmdale man during home-invasion

by The AV Times Staff • March 23, 2018

PALMDALE – Two men were arrested Thursday on suspicion of murder in connection with the stabbing death of a 64-year-old man last year in the course of what detectives say was a home-invasion robbery in Palmdale.

Victim Vincent Coleman Roper

Vincent Coleman Roper was found dead on Aug. 25 in the 37600 block of Patty Court, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies responded to a report of an open door at a residence and found Roper unconscious on the floor of the home, officials said.

Fire department personnel pronounced Roper dead at the scene.

“During the investigation, detectives discovered that victim Roper was murdered,” according to a sheriff’s department statement. “He suffered stab wounds and blunt force trauma to his body during the incident.”

The arrested suspects were identified as Francis Tulanda, 40, of Canyon Country and Christopher Brandon, 32, of Los Angeles, the sheriff’s department reported.

“The motive for the murder was a home invasion robbery gone awry,” according to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

Tulanda and Brandon are each being held in lieu of $2 million bail, according to sheriff’s inmate records.

Roper, a Jamaica native, owned a local flooring business, and he was uncle to rapper Safaree Samuels, from VH1’s “Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood,” according to NBC Los Angeles.

“He’s not a problematic person… He doesn’t have any enemies,” Samuels told NBC Los Angeles last year. View the NBC Los Angeles report here.

The investigation is still ongoing, according to the sheriff’s department.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Lieutenant Mendoza at 323-890-5500.

Previous related story: Stabbing death investigation in Palmdale

Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

11 comments for "Two men arrested for killing Palmdale man during home-invasion"

  1. Tell the truth says

    March 26, 2018 at 9:44 am

    There’s a lot more to this story LASD is not releasing. Think why would someone from Canyon Country and LA come to Palmdale for a home robbery, and in that neighborhood. As long as no deals are made the truth will come out.

    • Alexis says

      March 26, 2018 at 11:30 am

      That’s because the investigation is still ongoing.

  2. Fiona says

    March 23, 2018 at 4:41 pm

    That’s the kind of low life’s that we have in the av they want things the easy way. Go get a job and see what is is to work for what u want not go around stealing other people’s hard earned things basturds.

    • Les says

      March 27, 2018 at 8:31 am

      Fiona- If you had read the story you’d have learned that the suspects were NOT from the AV.

      • Fiona says

        March 27, 2018 at 2:45 pm

        They may not be FROM the a.v but they are IN the a.v right? So there for that s what we have in the a.v. still low life’s where ever they came from right?

        • Les says

          March 27, 2018 at 3:11 pm

          Fiona- Maybe you should have said “That’s the kind of low life’s that come from Canyon Country and Los Angeles to the AV” or “That’s the kind of low life’s that Canyon Country and Los Angeles have”.
          You make it sound like it’s the AV’s fault that they were here.

          • Kiki says

            March 27, 2018 at 5:27 pm

            It doesn’t matter how it should of been said .geeez thieves are thieves where ever they are from there there happy u want everything in detail and for what?

    • Dee says

      March 27, 2018 at 11:39 am

      Did you not comprehend that the suspects were from Canyon Country and Los Angeles???

      Geeze!

      • Fiona says

        March 27, 2018 at 2:46 pm

        So according to you since they are not from here they are not lowlifes?

    • Alexis says

      March 27, 2018 at 12:54 pm

      @Fiona…people on here are brutal to one another if catch you in anything.

      • Alexis says

        March 27, 2018 at 12:56 pm

        Oops! I made a mistake, (they).

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