Capitola Murder Details Emerge, Suspect Faces Trial

Marcos Chavez, the , will face trial. 

According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Judge Paul Marigonda made that decision on Monday at a preliminary hearing.

Several law enforcement representatives spoke at the hearing including one who the Sentinel reported "testified to finding ... Chavez inside his Virgil Lane residence ... noticeably upset and with blood on his shirt. Elsewhere in the apartment, 36-year-old Ronald Aaron Carpenter was dead, his throat slit. He'd also been bludgeoned with a clothes iron, which was broken on the apartment floor. A knife and a wooden rod from a closet, which had blood on it, were found in the apartment."

Officer Kraig Evans testified that he heard Chavez say, "I don't know what happened. Things got out of control. I stabbed him, I (expletive) stabbed him," according to the Sentinel.

Chavez also reportedly told the officer that Carpenter had made sexual advances toward him. While that has not been proven, . 

Capitola Detective Marquis Booth also testified on Monday, reporting that a search of Chavez's phone showed text messages between him and his landlord concerning overdue rent, according to the Monterey County Herald. 

Assistant District Attorney Celia Rowland insists that the incident was a . 

"After hearing testimony Monday afternoon, ... Marigonda ordered Chavez to be held on the murder charge and on 'special circumstances' of robbery," the Monterey County Herald reported. "He also was held on two special allegations of use of a deadly weapon, referring to the clothes iron and the knife prosecutors say was used to slit Carpenter's throat."

To view all of Patch's coverage of Capitola's first homicide since 2003, click here.

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