CALIFORNIA – A 72-year-old woman who was stabbed in South Berkeley in September has died after nearly three weeks in medical care, according to authorities. Nancy Jo McClellan of Emeryville died Wednesday at approximately 2:30 a.m., said Berkeley Police Capt. Andrew Greenwood.
[…]  Police will now seek murder charges against Kamau Berlin, the 18-year-old Richmond man authorities say was responsible for McClellan’s death. It is the second homicide in Berkeley this year.

[…]  Police say Berlin tried to steal McClellan’s Honda, then stabbed her twice in the throat when the car wouldn’t start. The assault took place at approximately 4:30 p.m. at Otis and Russell streets, not far from the Ashby BART station.
[…]  According to court papers describing what took place the day of McClellan’s stabbing, a witness said she was in the area when she saw a woman on the ground bleeding from the face. A young man was trying to start a nearby Honda, but was unsuccessful.
The woman asked the witness for help, and the man picked her up and put her into the back of the car. He told the witness he was “just trying to help her,” according to police.
“He’s not helping me,” McClellan told the witness, and continued to ask for assistance. The witness called 911.
A second witness later heard McClellan screaming for help, and looked outside to see a young man making “punching motions” into the rear passenger area of the parked Honda.
When officers arrived, they found Berlin on Otis south of Russell. He fled into residential yards, going westbound and onto rooftops, police said. In the meantime, another officer performed CPR on McClellan until paramedics arrived.
An officer was able to detain Berlin on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, near Otis. He had blood stains on his face and on the front of his shirt and pants, according to court papers. Both witnesses identified Berlin as the person they saw near the Honda.
McClellan had been stabbed twice in the throat with a knife, severing her carotid artery. She was taken to Highland Hospital for treatment.  (read more)