A murderer was released after almost 30 years in prison. Two years later, he killed again, prosecutors say

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Timothy Chavira

(CNN) - Just two years ago, Timothy Chavira was released from a California prison on probation after serving almost 30 years for killing his stepmother. Now he is accused of killing someone again, authorities say.

Chavira, 56, was arrested on December 18 on suspicion of killing Dr. Editha Cruz de León in Los Angeles, authorities say.

Cruz de León, a retired obstetrician, was killed on December 7, 2019 with a sharp object in her home in northeast Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

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Chavira has been charged with a murder charge, and is being held without bail in the central men's jail in Los Angeles.

The authorities have not said why they believe Chavira killed the retired doctor, or what they believe was the reason. CNN has contacted the public defender's office.

A jury had found Chavira guilty of murder before.

Chavira was 23 years old when he was charged in September 1986 with the murder of the death of his stepmother, Laurie Ann Chavira, 48, who lived in Burbank, near Los Angeles. She was found dead in the trunk of her car, the Los Angeles Times reported.

He had beaten and stabbed to death, authorities said. A deputy district attorney said at the time that the only reason he could find was hate, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Chavira was sentenced in 1987 to at least 26 years in prison. He was paroled in July 2017, just under 30 years after his conviction.

His court hearing is scheduled for March 2, the district attorney's office said.