A judge ordered a man March 7 to stand trial for murder in the cold case homicide of a 19-year-old man who was stabbed to death in 2005 in National City.
Police witnesses identified Anthony Raymond Rivers, 31, as a gang member in the April 10, 2005 slaying of Luis Vasquez in the 200 block of Highland Avenue. The homicide is gang related.
Rivers was arrested Aug. 30, 2017, on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of loaded firearms near where he lived in La Mesa. However, National City Police detectives began looking at him as a suspect in the 2005 crimes.
Rivers was also ordered to stand trial for attempted murder in the stabbing of Marvin Castrellon, then 25, who was Vasquez’s half brother in the same incident. Castrellon did not testify, but police witnesses testified in the preliminary hearing he was stabbed in the right side and had surgery to repair wounds.
The meth charges against Rivers are pending and will be a separate case after another judge ordered them to be filed separately from the murder case. Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Garry Haehnle ordered Rivers to next appear in court on March 21.
Rivers, dressed in jail clothes, took notes from testimony. One of his hands was handcuffed to his chair. Several family members of Vasquez attended the hearing as did relatives of Rivers.
Deputy District Attorney Robert Eacret said witnesses told police it was Rivers who yelled the name of a gang before stabbing people. “It was his conduct who started it off. He should be held accountable,” said Eacret, who added that the stabbings were “a natural consequence” of yelling a gang name beforehand.
His attorney, Brooke LaFrance, argued unsuccessfully to dismiss all charges against him, saying the identification of Rivers as the stabber 13 years ago was unreliable. One person in court identified Rivers as the stabber, and police witnesses told the judge other witnesses identified him as the stabber.
Haehnle dismissed one charge of assault with a deadly weapon involving a third victim who escaped being stabbed outside a National City liquor store with the others. He did order Rivers to stand trial on charges he committed the crimes to benefit a criminal street gang.
In 2005, police arrested David Hurtado, also known as Jose Hernandez, and he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and committing the crime to benefit a street gang.
Hurtado was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
On Jan. 25, 2017, police arrested Jorge Ibarra, now 31. Ibarra pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault. Ibarra will be sentenced May 14. A plea agreement with Ibarra indicates he will get up to six years in prison.
National City Police Lt. David Bavencoff testified he interviewed witnesses and recalled his interview with Castrellon. He said Castrellon and Vasquez went to a store to buy items for a barbecue, but when he went outside he saw his brother lying on the ground.
Castrellon recalled being struck by something on his side, and later discovered he had been stabbed. Castrellon swung at the attacker, who then cut Castrellon’s nose with a knife, said Bavencoff. Someone started giving CPR to Castrellon’s brother, but Vasquez later died.
Rivers has pleaded not guilty and he remains in jail on $3 million bail. Ibarra also remains in jail without bail.
