A Riverside man accused of fatally slashing a longtime friend during an alcohol-fueled confrontation must stand trial for murder and other charges, a judge ruled Tuesday.
(Credit: Daniel Lane)
Kevin Scott Mansfield could face 50 years to life in prison if convicted of the March 27 slaying of 31-year-old Joshua Michael Sebald.
Along with first-degree murder, Mansfield faces sentence-enhancing allegations that he used a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony and committed a crime while out on bail.
Following a 45-minute preliminary hearing today at the Riverside Hall of Justice, during which one police investigator testified, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Koosed found there was sufficient evidence to bound Mansfield over for trial.
Koosed also ruled that the 31-year-old defendant had a serious prior felony strike on his record and left his bail set at $1.1 million. Mansfield has been held at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside since his arrest.
Koosed set a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Sept. 18.
According to police, on the night of the attack, Mansfield and Sebald were drinking in the detached garage behind Mansfield’s mother’s house in the 5900 block of Birch Street, near Magnolia Elementary School. For reasons not explained, Mansfield allegedly went after Sebald with a knife, inflicting fatal injuries.
Mansfield’s family saw him leave the garage, where he had been living, and decided to check on Sebald, who was discovered dead on the floor. Officers were summoned to the location and immediately began a search for Mansfield, who was found 20 minutes later walking nearby and arrested without a struggle.
At the time of the attack, Mansfield was free on bail after being arrested on suspicion of robbery, authorities said. He has a prior felony conviction for a 2002 burglary he committed with Sebald, who was also prosecuted.
The two men had known each other since middle school.
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