In a bizarre twist to a grisly crime on a popular hiking trail in the San Gabriel Mountains where a 19-year-old man reportedly stabbed his father to death, the victim has been identified as a well-known, award-winning war photographer, photojournalist and professor at University of the Arts London.  

On Oct. 12, deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to the area around Mt. Baldy Road near Stoddard Canyon Falls just before 3:30 p.m. where they discovered a man suffering from severe “trauma to his upper torso,” LASD officials said in a news release.  

The victim, now identified by friends as 61-year-old Paul Lowe, was declared dead at the scene.

Investigators soon learned that another man was seen driving away from the area at high speeds and ultimately crashed his car just a few miles down the road.  

Authorities initially detained the 19-year-old, now identified as Emir Lowe, according to LASD booking records, before arresting him on suspicion of murder.  

According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, the 61-year-old’s cause of death was a stab wound to the neck.  

Now, friends of the beloved professor and renowned photojournalist, who covered the terrors of the Bosnian war and split his time between London and Sarajevo, are remembering him as a mentor and friend to many.  

Lara Jo Regan, a colleague of Lowe’s and a fellow photojournalist, told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff that she first met him at the World Press Photo of the Year exhibition 24 years ago. 

“We had some great, interesting, stimulating and inspiring conversations about photography,” she recalled. “I just think it’s the effect he had on many people, both students and colleagues. He had a real generosity of spirit.”  

Regan said Lowe told her he was in Southern California to manage some family matters. They had planned to meet up, but after several days went by, she hadn’t heard from him.  

“I went on Facebook, and I was going to DM him to see what was up,” she explained. “Then, the first thing that came up was news of his passing posted on his agency’s website in New York. I was beyond shocked. I’m still kind of shocked.”  

Condolences and tributes have been pouring from others as people learn of the fateful news.  

“Paul was a courageous beloved comrade, and a deeply devoted father and husband,” the VII Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to visual journalism, said in a post to Instagram. “The loss is shocking and overwhelming, and our hearts go out to his wife and family.”  

Fellow artist and curator Elton Koritari wrote on Instagram about the privilege of working with Lowe and curating his last exhibition in Tirana, Albania. 

“Now, it’s a huge responsibility to still have in a show with ‘The Siege of Sarajevo,’ to carry on his work as a humanist, as a committed witness to history.”  

As for Regan, she believes his legacy will live on in his work.  

“I just want him to know that his spirit will live on through those pictures and many others that he’s taken,” she said.  

Lowe’s son, Emir, is scheduled to appear in a West Covina courtroom Tuesday.  

KTLA has reached out to authorities about a possible motive in the killing and is awaiting a response.  

A small business owner is asking for help identifying two thieves who posed as customers and stole over $100,000 worth of rings and other items from his Orange County jewelry store.

On Sept. 17, a man and woman walked into OC Diamond Estate Jewelry on Glassell Street and asked owner Samy Soliman to see some of his more expensive pieces. 

Soliman thought they seemed like normal customers, “They were well-dressed, and they really have expensive jewelry on them,” he recounted to KTLA’s Chip Yost.

Serving the customers, Soliman said he got some boxes of the more expensive jewelry that he thought might interest them. 

“Then my phone rang,” explained Soliman. “I left the boxes for a second. She pulled one of the boxes out, put it on the seat slowly. I didn’t notice because I can’t see her because of her boyfriend in front of my eyes.”

When Soliman got off the phone, the woman engaged him in conversation while the man put the box in his pants, covered it with his T-shirt and walked out. 

“I didn’t see nothing till when I’m putting the stuff away, I am missing a box,” said Soliman.

Soliman said the thieves got away with dozens of some of his most expensive jewelry.

“It’s stealing, and simply enough, it’s ruining my life for a long time,” shared Soliman. “Because even if I make this much money in the past three, four years, it’s gone. So it’s a big loss.”

The store’s Instagram account posted security footage of the theft, asking followers and other viewers to help find the couple.

Anyone with information or who can help identify the man and woman in the video is encouraged to contact the Orange Police Department.

Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego faced off against Republican challenger Kari Lake on Wednesday night and wasted no time exchanging blows over the illegal immigration crisis plaguing the state’s southern border.

Lake, trailing behind Gallego entering into the debate, appeared much more on the offensive. Meanwhile, Gallego – a five-term member in Congress – appeared more relaxed, given his comfortable lead in several recent polls. 

The two candidates sparred over border security and abortion in the first half of the debate night. Lake touted H.R. 2 – the House GOP-led bill that would tighten border security – while Gallego pointed to his support for the failed bipartisan border bill that Democrats, Republicans and White House officials negotiated earlier this year.

BATTLEGROUND SENATE CANDIDATE UNLOADS ON ‘RADICAL’ DEM OPPONENT FOR DISPARAGING TRUMP VOTERS

Kari Lake and Rep. Ruben Gallego are battling in the Arizona Senate race. (Getty Images)

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Gallego also accused Lake of wanting to deport Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, while Lake accused Gallego of not wanting to deport any of the illegal immigrants who have crossed the border over the last three and a half years.

“Dealing with the people who’ve poured in during the Bidenvasion, the 20 million people who have come in unvetted into our country, we must deal with them in order to save our homeland,” Lake said during the debate. “We must send them back to their homeland. I’m talking about the people came in unvetted in the past three and a half years. I’m not talking about the dreamers.”

“Do you want to deport any of the people who’ve invaded our country in the last three and a half years? Ruben, do want to deport any of them?” Lake probed.

“Yes, actually we should have a proper deport deportation proceedings,” Gallego replied. “But I also think that we shouldn’t deport Dreamers.” 

ENIGMATIC VOTER GROUP COULD SPLIT TICKET FOR TRUMP, DEM SENATE CANDIDATE IN ARIZONA

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Kari Lake holds a press conference on May 23, 2023 in Phoenix. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

“She says she’s going to deport people. Will you deport those Dreamers? Just be honest, yes or no,” Gallego said.

Lake responded that former President Donald Trump wanted to make a deal when it came to Dreamers, which Gallego did not support.

“You said no. Unfortunately, the radical Democrats, like my opponent, would rather use people as political pawns. I want to secure the border,” Lake said.

Though it was a debate for the Arizona Senate seat, the debate did not shy away from weighing into national waters. Other issues like reducing inflation and re-federalizing Roe v. Wade came up later in the debate. 

At one point during the night, Gallego took a swipe at Lake, accusing her of spending more time at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago than visiting the border. 

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Lake also made sure to align herself as a strong Trump ally throughout the night who would restore a “strong Trump economy,” while painting Gallego as a supporter of “Kamala Harris, the border czar, and Joe Biden’s open border.”

IN ARIZONA SPEECH, VANCE SAYS NEXT PRESIDENT MUST PUT AMERICANS FIRST, SLAMS FEMA MONEY FOR MIGRANTS

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. (Getty Images)

When it came to abortion, which Democrats have selected as one of their winning platform issues this election cycle, Lake said she opposed a federal abortion ban, but Gallego pointed to her supporting the state’s 1864 near-total ban in 2022. 

Gallegho said “it is absolutely abhorrent” that his 15-month-old daughter “has less rights in control of her body than her mother and then her grandma.” State law currently bans abortion at 15 weeks gestation.

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“And the reason we need to codify [Roe v. Wade] because people like Kari Lake are the ones that make this a dangerous situation,” he said.

Lake responded that abortion rights should be “left to the states.”

The debate came on the first day of early voting for Arizona, as the state’s Senate race is one of the highly contested seats this election cycle. 

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate. 

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