RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A state prison inmate is the suspect in a 2020 cold-case killing of a Homeland man whose body was found along state Route 74, just west of SR-79, in Riverside County, authorities announced Monday.
David Starnes, 46, of Hemet was being housed at Wasco State Prison on an unrelated 2025 conviction, but he was transported into Riverside County custody last month and arrested Sunday on suspicion of murder following a reexamination of the cold case by the Riverside County Sheriff's Central Homicide Unit.
The investigation into the SR-74 death stems back to Sept. 2, 2020, when deputies responded around 8:34 a.m. to reports of a man down along the highway in the unincorporated community of Green Acres.
Upon arrival, first responders found 42-year-old Jabulani Mensa Robinson suffering from fatal injuries sustained during an apparent altercation. Emergency personnel pronounced Robinson dead at the scene.
Further details about the slaying were not released.
Initial investigative efforts yielded little suspect information, and the case eventually went cold.
Investigators reopened the file earlier this year after receiving new leads that identified Starnes as the primary suspect. At the time the new evidence emerged, Starnes was already in the custody of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation serving time in an unrelated case. He was eligible for parole in October, according to prison records.
The investigation into Robinson's death remains active and ongoing. Authorities urge anyone with information regarding the slaying to contact Master Investigator Sandoval at 951-955-2777.
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