Details are now emerging about an early May homicide that occurred at a senior housing facility on Laguna Street, and the killing was reportedly a fairly brutal one.

Police released little information at the time about a homicide in early May on the unit block of Laguna Street, including whether it occurred on the street or inside a residence. As the Chronicle now reports via the SFPD, the victim was a 69-year-old man, John Tyler, and a woman they arrested in July in connection with the killing was allegedly at the victim's apartment at the time of his death, likely in her role as a sex worker.

The SFPD earlier announced the July 10 arrest of 24-year-old Deno Blackwell in connection with the Laguna Street killing — it has not technically been called a murder — only saying that she had been arrested on suspicion of homicide after they served a search warrant in Oakland.

The Chronicle's report now suggests that the warrant may have followed an earlier effort to access Blackwell's cellphone in connection to another case, to see whether that cellphone had been in the vicinity of Laguna Street the day/night of the homicide.

The affordable housing complex on the unit block of Laguna where Tyler apparently lived is known as Project Openhouse, and it offers apartments to people age 55 and up, with a focus on LGBTQ+ seniors. The complex also has units reserved for formerly homeless individuals.

Police say that they have video evidence of a woman wearing a surgical mask entering the building with Tyler and entering his unit on May 3. Police say that Tyler appeared "perfectly healthy and uninjured." There is then allegedly video of the young woman exiting alone just after 9 am on May 4.

Tyler's body would then be discovered by maintenance workers conducting pest inspections on May 6. Investigators describe a gruesome scene, with Tyler found in a pool of blood on his living room floor, with "cuts and slash wounds on his head, face and hands." There was also apparently blood spatter on the walls, and a bloody hatchet found on the bed. A bloody knife and a latex glove were found at the scene as well.

An autopsy revealed fractures to Tyler's skull and ribcage, and 16 separate "chop or cut wounds" to his head and body.

A manager of the building reportedly told investigators that Tyler was known to bring young women back to his apartment, and the manager assumed these were sex workers.

Over six weeks since her arrest, Blackwell still has not been charged with a crime. Police say they have found her listed in four different police incident reports in Oakland, including one in which she alleges she was sexually assaulted by a john in early June.

A statement, apparently from the District Attorney's Office to the Chronicle, says that "The police had probable cause to make an arrest based on the evidence gathered; however, to make appropriate charging decisions for criminal prosecution, further investigation is required."