Police say Simi Valley teacher slaying may not be random attack

The fatal stabbing of a retired teacher in her Simi Valley home does not appear to be a random killing, police said Saturday.

“The leads we have indicate it was not a random act, and they are taking us beyond the limits of Simi Valley,” said Simi Valley Police Det Lt. Joseph May. He declined to elaborate.

An acquaintance discovered the body of Janice Somple, 65, Thursday evening in her house in the 1500 block of Carmen Drive.

Police initially said the motive was unknown and the slaying, in a quiet, safe neighborhood, set the area on edge.

Somple retired in 2008 from the Conejo Valley Unified School District, where she taught high school English.

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