1 arrested after 53-year-old roommate fatally stabbed at Irvine home following argument

IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) — A 22-year-old man has been arrested in the stabbing death of his 53-year-old roommate at an Irvine home on Tuesday, police say.

Officers say the suspect admitted to arguing with his roommate over the last several days, and on Tuesday it turned physical.

Zackery Dean Hinkle, 22, allegedly stabbed his roommate, Terry Rahmatulla, police say. Officers tried to revive the victim at the scene but he was pronounced dead. Other residents at the home were not injured.

Hinkle was arrested for murder and brought to the Orange County Jail.

Residents living near Fortuna East and Park Place woke up to the unsettling sight Tuesday of investigators in their neighborhood around 6:30 a.m.

Some neighbors heard arguing coming from the home.

Ron Castleton and his wife, Sunny, live a few doors down from the home.

“It wasn’t uncommon,” Ron said. “It didn’t happen every day but that household had some issues going on.”

Tuesday morning authorities found the 53-year-old victim dead from multiple stab wounds.

Sunny said police had been called out to the home several times in the past.

“Not shocked because everybody kind of knows the family, troubled family,” she said.

Ron added, “You knew that there was some dysfunction in that family. Didn’t think it would result into something like this.”

Police say there is no threat to the public but folks who live in the community say it’s sad to see violent crime in the city go up. Irvine is often considered one of the safest cities of its size in the country.

Irvine resident Fue Pan said, “If it’s domestic then we don’t worry about it because within a family anything can happen but if it’s from outside it’s actually worrying us.”