Albertsons-Stabbing Suspect Charged

Kelvin Green, the estranged husband of a , has been charged with murder over the Sunday stabbing of his estranged wife.

Green, 52, faces one count each of murder and assault. The latter charge involves a good Samaritan who tried to get involved in the incident. (The Samaritan was not injured)

Green will stay in jail in lieu of $1 million bail pending arraignment. The arraignment has been postponed until Sept. 8.

Green was on Monday and then treated at a local hospital for a medical illness.

"The crime has now been classified as a homicide," said Monday night.

Christina Talley, 46, died Monday morning.

Police had been questioning Green, the clerk's estranged husband. Descriptions of the suspect have resembled descriptions of Green.

"During the course of the investigation, Mr. Green was ultimately determined to be a suspect to the homicide," SMPD Sgt. Richard Lewis said. "Mr. Green is currently being treated at an undisclosed hospital for a medical illness."

The investigation is ongoing.

The incident, which is , took place around 3:20 p.m. at the located at 3105 Wilshire Blvd.

Customers said they saw a man stabbing the clerk multiple times.

"It was horrifying," said a Santa Monica Patch reader who was shopping at the store at the time of the incident. The reader asked not to be identified.

Police investigators said the suspect entered the Albertsons and approached the clerk from behind while she was working at the checkout. He then started hitting her and stabbing her around the head, neck and upper torso.

The man then fled the store, heading southbound on Berkeley Street toward Wilshire Boulevard.

Though in critical condition, the clerk was conscious when Santa Monica police arrived at the store. She was then taken to a hospital and died at 2:30 a.m. on Monday morning.

If you have information about the incident, call police at (310) 458-8495.

If you provide information that leads to an arrest and conviction, you may be eligible for a reward of as much as $1,000.

If you want to remain anonymous, call WeTip at 1.800.78.CRIME or submit the tip online at WeTip.com. Another option is calling Crime Stoppers at 800.222.TIPS, texting from your mobile phone or visiting LACrimeStoppers.org.

City News Service contributed to this report.