Timothy Chavira
CNN  — 

Just two years ago, Timothy Chavira was released from a California prison on parole after serving nearly 30 years for killing his stepmother. He’s now accused of killing someone again, authorities say.

Chavira, 56, was arrested in December 18 on suspicion of killing Dr. Editha Cruz de Leon in Los Angeles, authorities say.

Cruz de Leon, a retired obstetrician, was killed December 7 with a sharp object in her northeast Los Angeles home, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.

Chavira has been charged with one count of murder, and is being held without opportunity for bail at the men’s central jail in Los Angeles.

Authorities haven’t said why they believe Chavira killed the retired doctor, or what they believe the motive was. CNN has reached out to the public defender’s office.

A jury had found Chavira guilty of murder before.

Chavira was 23 when he was charged in September 1986 with murder in the death of his stepmother, 48-year-old Laurie Ann Chavira, who lived in Burbank near Los Angeles. She was found dead in the trunk of her car, the Los Angeles Times reported.

He had beaten and stabbed her to death, authorities said. A deputy district attorney said at the time that the only motive he could come up with was hatred, the Times reported.

Chavira was sentenced in 1987 to at least 26 years in prison. He was released on parole in July 2017, just short of 30 years after his conviction.

He’s next scheduled in court on March 2, the district attorney’s office said.