SANTA ANA — An ex-con was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder for the stabbing death of a 24-year-old man following a dispute in Santa Ana.
Darrick Patrick Ocegueda, 45, is scheduled to be sentenced May 7.
Ocegueda was on parole when he stabbed Daniel Bahena to death last June 21. He had pleaded guilty in June 2018 to assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Bahena and the defendant had gotten into a dispute outside a CVS drug store and then challenged each other to a fight, Deputy District Attorney Harris Siddiq told jurors in his closing argument Monday.
“During that fight, the defendant has the upper hand… he was getting the better of Daniel Bahena, who weighed 80 pounds less than the defendant,” Siddiq said.
Ocegueda’s friend used his skateboard to try to protect Bahena, who with a friend scurried to get away, Siddiq said.
“They are getting out of there, they have no interest in engaging with the defendant,” he said.
The defendant dashed over to his SUV and retrieved two knives, the prosecutor said.
“He chased Daniel for over a quarter of a mile into an apartment building complex, and when they arrived at that apartment building, the defendant stabbed Daniel to death,” Siddiq said.
Source: Orange County Register
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