Police: Man killed woman, left her body in his RV

A Huntington Beach man pleaded not guilty Tuesday for allegedly strangling a 21-year-old woman to death and then leaving her body in his RV parked outside his parents’ house.

Police began searching for Ean Keith Brown, 38, on Sunday after his parents became suspicious and called the Huntington Beach Police Department to inspect the RV, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Brown was out on parole for burglary at the time he allegedly strangled the woman, whom police identified as Dolores “Arias” Fagan. A relative identified her as Arias Dolores Fagan. She was staying with relatives on the same street as Brown, prosecutors said.

Fagan left her home around 5 p.m. Jan. 6 and was never seen again. Brown is accused of murdering Fagan between Jan. 6 and 8. Her body was eventually found wrapped in a blanket in Brown’s RV.

Authorities believe Brown knew Fagan from the neighborhood, but aren’t sure of the exact nature of the relationship, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Sonia Balleste.

Law enforcement agencies were on the lookout for Brown when the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol spotted him heading north on the 15 Freeway about 4 p.m. Sunday.

The CHP stopped and arrested Brown before he reached the Nevada border, said Capt. Russell Reinhart. He was later turned over to Huntington Beach police detectives.

Brown is charged with one felony count of murder with a sentencing enhancement for two previous strikes for a second-degree robbery in 1995 and burglary in 2008. He faces a maximum sentence of 85 years in prison if convicted and is in custody in lieu of $1 million bail.

His next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 27, Balleste said.

mona.shadia@latimes.com

Twitter: @MonaShadia