By Jorge Casuso

October 1, 2024 -- A man from Dearborn, Michigan was convicted this month of murdering a fellow hometown resident two years ago in a parking lot on the beach in Santa Monica.

At a trial in LA County last month, Mohamed Abou-Arabi, 24, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of a man who was found dead in his car just north of the Pier on November 2, 2022.

During the investigation and trial, Abou-Arabi refused to provide a motive for killing the victim, identified as Mujtaba Anwer Al Ashoor, 21, of Dearboen, Michigan, police said.

Officers responded to the scene after a parking attendant noticed a man "lying motionless in the driver seat and possibly bleeding," said Lt. Erika Aklufi, the Police Department spokesperson.

The individual inside the vehicle, which was parked at the west end of the lot facing the beach, "was clearly grievously injured in a knife attack," Aklufi said.

Responding firefighters confirmed the victim, who was initially listed as a John Doe, was dead, according to police.

Forensics specialists collected "hundreds of DNA swabs and latent fingerprints at the scene, along with more than a thousand photos," Aklufi said.

"SMPD detectives quickly learned the victim was a resident of Dearborn, Michigan, who recently purchased the vehicle from a private party in Southern California."

Using evidence collected from the vehicle and other investigative tools, the murder suspect was identified as Mohamed Abou-Arabi of Dearborn, Michigan.

After the LA County District Attorney’s Office filed a single count of murder "with an enhancement for utilizing a knife to commit the fatal attack," a warrant was issued for Abou-Arabi’s arrest, police said.

"With crucial assistance from the Dearborn Police Department, SMPD was able to pinpoint Abou-Arabi’s movements from California back to Michigan following the attack."

In January 2023, SMPD Detectives flew to Michigan and arrested Abou-Arabi after a search warrant was served at his Dearborn home, where detectives collected additional evidence tying him to the killing, police said.

On January 18, he was extradited and booked into the Santa Monica Jail. He has been in the custody of LA County since that time.

Abou-Arabi has no prior arrests or convictions in California. He has two prior arrests for misdemeanor weapons offenses in Michigan. He will be sentenced in December.