SACRAMENTO—Police arrested a Sacramento man on Monday, February 16, in connection with the stabbing death of a woman he reportedly knew.
The Sacramento Police Department identified the suspect as Timothy Varmall, 47, and said the victim, Smruti Patel, 44, died last Thursday, February 12 at a hospital after being stabbed three days earlier.
On February 9, officers responded to the 1500 block of Del Paso Boulevard and Arden Way after receiving reports that a woman had suffered significant trauma to her upper body in a violent attack. Police said the person responsible for the stabbing fled the scene as officers rushed to the area. When officers arrived, they located the victim, who was taken to the hospital where she later died.
Through their investigation, detectives determined that Patel and Varmall were acquaintances.
“The assault was ultimately discovered to have stemmed from a recent friendship between Patel and the suspect Varmall,” said a police press release. Varmall resides about two miles away, in north downtown Sacramento.
Varmall was arrested on suspicion of murder after being interviewed by detectives at police headquarters.
An Internet search also showed that Varmall has a prior conviction of oral copulation with a minor under the age of 14 by force or fear. He is on the Megan’s Law website as a registered sex offender.