Sources say the slaying of former NFL player Kevin Johnson may be linked to three other murders in the Willowbrook-Los Angeles area.

The murder of former NFL player Kevin Johnson may be connected to three murders of homeless people in the Compton Creek area.in the Willowbrook neighborhood

WILLOWBROOK, Calif. (KABC) - Eyewitness News has learned that the murder of former NFL player Kevin Johnson may be related to the killing of three homeless people living in an LA encampment near Willowbrook.This is sometimes called Compton Creek.

Four similar homicides occurred in the 1300 block of East 120th Street between October 2025 and January 2026. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department indicated that all four victims were homeless people living in encampments in the area.

Johnson's body was found Jan. 21 at a homeless encampment near Compton Creek. His cause of death was listed as "blunt force trauma to the head" and "stab wounds," and the manner of death was homicide, according to LA County Medical Examiner records.

Johnson was 55 years old.

LEGAL REPORT: Former NFL player Kevin Johnson stabbed to death at LA homeless camp

According to sources close to the investigation, the string of murders in the Compton Creek area began on October 5, 2025, when a woman, Michelle Steele, 52, was shot in the head.She died in hospital on November 12, 2025.

Three weeks later, on Dec. 4, a homeless man identified as Octavio Arias, 52, was killed in the same neighborhood, according to the L.A. County Medical Examiner. Arias died of head and neck injuries.

The fourth victim, after the killing of Kevin Johnson, was identified as Mauro Alfaro, also 50 years old.Alfaro reportedly died on January 26, and the cause of death was blunt force trauma.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau says investigators are now looking into the possibility that all four murders were committed by the same killer.The suspect has not been identified.

Detectives are still trying to determine the motive for the murder and determine if the suspect is someone upset about the homeless in the area or if drugs or gangs may be involved.Sources say there is no concrete evidence to connect the cases.

Eight detectives are working on the case, and they say they are having a difficult time getting information from the homeless population in the area.County workers are making outreach in the area, trying to relocate the homeless population to other housing.

Anyone with information should call homicide detectives at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).

Johnson, an L.A. native, played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders from 1995 to 1997.

After his NFL career, he played in the Arena Football League with the Orlando Predators and Los Angeles Avengers.