A 25-year-old probationer accused of fatally shooting a man during a confrontation on the south end of Blythe must stand trial on a first-degree murder charge, a judge ruled Thursday.
Efren Ezequiel Magana of Blythe was arrested last March following a Blythe Police Department investigation.
At the end of a preliminary hearing Thursday at the Blythe Courthouse, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mickie Reed ruled there was sufficient evidence to bound Magana over for trial on the murder count, along with being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
The judge set a post-preliminary hearing for March 21 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. The defendant is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Benoit Detention Center.
According to police, just after midnight on March 26, patrol officers were sent to investigate calls of shots fired in the 500 block of South Third Street, near 14th Avenue, and discovered a man mortally wounded. The victim died at a regional trauma center.
The ensuing investigation pointed to Magana as the alleged shooter, and five days later, search warrants were served at his Third Street apartment, culminating in his arrest.
A possible motive for the shooting wasn’t disclosed, and it was not clear whether the defendant and victim were acquainted.
Court records show Magana has documented prior convictions for felony evading, driving under the influence and being a felon with a gun.