A 19-year-old Beverly Hills resident, Conoray Lawantara, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in connection with the stabbing death of a homeless man. Lawantara, who formerly attended a prestigious boarding school, appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday.

According to his attorney, Debra White, a physical altercation occurred when the homeless man allegedly reached for Lawantara, elbowed him, and bit off a portion of his finger. White stated that Lawantara sustained a stab wound to the abdomen and only produced a knife when the man refused to disengage. However, Judge Keith Schwartz countered that the defendant had no reason to engage with the homeless man, describing the victim as someone who was "minding his own business" and stating that Lawantara "stabbed him repeatedly, like in a horror movie."

Lawantara, who is an Indonesian national, was arrested on suspicion of murder following an incident on August 30. Police responded to a report of a fight in an alley on the 400 block of North Palm Drive in Beverly Hills around 11:39 p.m. Officers found Lawantara and the victim, identified as 40-year-old Vanik Voskanyan, who had a severe stab wound to the neck. Voskanyan was treated at the scene and transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Neighbors reported seeing the homeless man looking through trash cans in the alley when Lawantara confronted him and allegedly stabbed him multiple times. Surveillance video obtained by The Post reportedly shows the victim stumbling down the alley in agony after the attack. Lawantara was also taken to a hospital for treatment.

In statements to police following his arrest, Lawantara said the homeless man "reached for me" and that he produced a knife, a 3.9-inch blade, because the man was "pulling at me." He stated he told the man to let go, but the man refused.

Court documents revealed that Lawantara recently attended Portsmouth Abbey, a private Catholic boarding school in Rhode Island with an annual tuition of $80,000. Photos from the school's website show him as an altar boy during his time there. He was listed as a 2025 graduate. Portsmouth Abbey has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Lawantara's bail was set at $2 million, and he was ordered to surrender his passport. He faces a murder charge in connection with Voskanyan's death.