Investigators have not announced a motive, but online messages and a fast arrest have sharpened attention on whether the victim was singled out before the attack.
LAFAYETTE, Calif. — A homicide investigation in Lafayette turned more troubling this week after online posts linked to the suspect appeared to identify 34-year-old Christopher Jaber and his Westminster Place address weeks before Jaber was found dead inside a home on Saturday.
Authorities say 35-year-old David Swank Prince of Chico was arrested near the scene after officers responding to a report of a suspicious person entered the residence and found Jaber dead. The case has drawn unusual attention in a city where killings are rare, and it now centers on whether the slaying was random, personal or planned in advance. Investigators have not publicly described a motive or the relationship, if any, between the two men, but they have confirmed the arrest, the victim’s identity and the continuing homicide inquiry.
Police were dispatched at 11:36 a.m. Saturday to Westminster Place after a report of a suspicious subject in the neighborhood. Officers went into the home and found a man dead. Authorities later identified him as Jaber, a 34-year-old Lafayette resident. A person seen walking nearby was detained within a short time and later arrested on suspicion of murder. That person was identified as Prince, 35, of Chico. Neighbor Christina Coleridge, who later saw the suspect in custody, said the arrest scene unsettled residents of the quiet street. “It’s horrifying. It’s really, really scary,” Coleridge said. She said officers had the man in handcuffs and appeared to be processing him at the scene as neighbors tried to understand what had happened in broad daylight.
The investigation took a sharper turn when residents and local media reports pointed to February social media posts from an account bearing the suspect’s name. One post referenced Jaber by name, listed an address on Westminster Place and used language about “the chaos of the supernatural,” calling him “the eye.” Days before the killing, the same account posted a short message asking whether someone could kill the man. Authorities have not publicly authenticated the account or said whether the posts will be used in court, but legal analysts say messages like that can become central evidence if prosecutors argue the killing was deliberate. Coleridge, who lives nearby, said the post made it appear the suspect had been looking for Jaber. Even so, investigators have not said how the men knew each other, whether they had prior contact, or what happened inside the home before the fatal attack.
Neighbors described Jaber as a familiar presence in the area, and one local report said he lived in an accessory dwelling unit behind his parents’ home. Coleridge said he was friendly and often rode his bike through the neighborhood, stopping to talk. The contrast between that routine and the violence of Saturday morning has shaken residents in a community better known for low crime and suburban calm than homicide investigations. Lafayette had no homicides recorded from 2013 through 2023, according to city crime data cited in local coverage, making the killing stand out not only for its brutality but for its setting. Law enforcement sources told local television station KTVU that the victim was attacked with a hatchet, though authorities have not publicly detailed the weapon, the number of wounds or whether there were signs of forced entry.
Prince was booked Saturday evening into the Martinez Detention Facility on one count of murder and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office is expected to review the case before deciding whether to file formal charges and, if so, whether to seek a murder count that alleges premeditation. Former prosecutor and legal analyst Michael Cardoza said statements posted before a killing can serve as a “road map” for a first-degree murder case if investigators can tie them to the defendant. He also said defense lawyers could point to the same messages to argue Prince was suffering from severe mental disturbance and lacked the capacity required for a more serious charge. For now, officials have not announced a charging date, a court appearance tied to a formal complaint or any psychiatric evaluation.
The scene itself has become part of the story in Lafayette, where neighbors traded fragments of what they saw and heard as detectives worked through the weekend. Coleridge said the suspect looked calm when officers detained him, a detail that only deepened the unease for people who had never seen him in the neighborhood before. Another local report said a nearby camera may have captured a man in the area around the time of the killing, though investigators have not released any footage or described what evidence they recovered from homes on the cul-de-sac. Records also show Prince has prior arrests and convictions in multiple counties, mostly in Butte County, adding another layer to the background investigators and prosecutors are likely to examine. Still, the central facts remain unsettled: why Jaber was killed, what exactly happened inside the residence, and whether the online statements reflect fantasy, threat or proof of intent.
The case remained under investigation Tuesday, with Prince jailed on suspicion of murder and prosecutors reviewing the evidence. The next milestone is a charging decision by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and, if charges are filed, an initial court appearance in the days ahead.
Author note: Last updated March 24, 2026.