Man wanted for WA murder believed to be on the run in SoCal after his car was found in Calabasas

CALABASAS, Calif. (KABC) -- A man wanted for murder in Washington state is now believed to be on the run in Southern California after his car was found in Calabasas.

Police say he viciously stabbed two people, killing one of them, before fleeing the state. Detectives believe the suspect is armed and dangerous.

Investigators are looking for 51-year-old Alexander Lee Rogers. They say he stabbed a 73-year-old Andrew Peters and his sister-in-law, 64-year-old Dawn Peters. Dawn died from her injuries, and Andrew survived.

"This is, like, unimaginable heartbreak. Every family member is devastated, everyone is grieving in a different way, so please, everybody, just pray for them," said family friend Jill Nunes.

The stabbing happened last Tuesday, just before noon, at the family's home in Longview, Washington. Investigators believe the violence was unprovoked.

"You know, this is a horrific case," said Capt. Brandon McNew with the Longview Police Department. "As far as we can tell, he was acquainted with them through an old family connection and may have been doing some handyman work at the house for them over the last few months."

McNew said that handywork started after Rogers had recently finished a 20-year stint in prison. He says Rogers was convicted of attempted murder in the early 2000s for attacking people with a machete.

Last week, two hours before the stabbing in Longview, police said they encountered Rogers in a parking lot. The interaction was captured on bodycam.

"He had some issues with his vehicle licensing in a parking lot, and so the officer addressed that with him. There was nothing criminal. It was worthy of a verbal warning," McNew said.

Investigators say Rogers fled Washington and drove more than a thousand miles, ditching his car in SoCal.

On Monday, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies found a vehicle matching the suspect's profile parked near a hiking trail in the 23000 block of Calabasas Road.

Investigators say Rogers is armed and dangerous. If you see him, call 911 and do not approach.

"Enough is enough. Time to turn yourself in," McNew said to the suspect or anyone who may know where he is.

Investigators are saturating the area, trying to find Rogers. They are also working to determine his motive. The knife used in the attack still hasn't been found.

Rogers was described as a 6'2" white man weighing 190 lbs. He was believed to be traveling in a partially spray-painted black BMW with Washington license plate BNU8712.

City News Service contributed to this report.