A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to assault and burglary charges for his role in a stabbing at a Desert Hot Springs hotel and was immediately sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Anthony Rene Ayala, 30, pleaded guilty before Judge Jason Stone at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to assault causing great bodily injury and first-degree burglary, according to Riverside County District Attorney’s office spokesman John Hall.
Two other men charged in the case, 30-year-old Jose Luis Garcia and 32-year-old Moises Mazariegos, previously pleaded guilty to the same charges. A fourth defendant, Jaime Eduardo Reynaga, is facing the same charges, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 3.
The stabbing occurred around 11 p.m. April 15, 2021, at a hotel in the 11000 block of Palm Drive, according to the Desert Hot Springs Police Department.
Officers responding to the scene found a male victim, whose name and age were withheld, suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.
The four men were arrested between April 21, 2021 and April 24, 2024. Ayala was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility, Garcia and Mazariegos into the Robert Presley Detention Center, and Reynaga into the Southwest Detention Center.
Police did not specify a motive for the attack.
All four men have prior felony convictions. Ayala has two robbery convictions, Garcia has convictions for burglary and attempted robbery, and Reynaga and Mazariegos have convictions for burglary and robbery.