A convicted felon accused of fatally beating a 40-year-old man in a San Jacinto park was charged Monday with murder and other offenses.
Angel Eduardo Guzman Banuelos, 19, of San Jacinto was arrested last week following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the slaying in September of David Montero, also of San Jacinto.
Along with murder, Banuelos is charged with using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony and probation violations.
He made his initial court appearance Monday before Superior Court Judge Francisco Navarro, who appointed him a public defender and scheduled his arraignment for Nov. 4 at the Banning Justice Center.
The defendant is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Jarred Bishop and court documents, the alleged attack happened shortly before 10 p.m. on Sept. 22 at Mistletoe Park in the 500 block of East Main Street, near Mistletoe Avenue.
Bishop said patrol deputies were called to the location to investigate reports of an assault and discovered Montero “suffering from traumatic injuries.”
The ensuing investigation determined the victim had been struck several times with a baseball bat.
Montero was hospitalized and remained in intensive care for four days, when he succumbed to the injuries.
Central Homicide Unit detectives ultimately identified Banuelos as the alleged assailant, though a motive was not disclosed.
The defendant was tracked to Enrico Fermiz Drive in San Diego, where he was taken into custody without incident on Thursday afternoon.
Court records show he has a prior conviction for robbery.