Garden Grove Man Found Guilty Of Fatal Stabbing, Four Years Later

GARDEN GROVE, CA — A jury found a Garden Grove man guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of an Anaheim man, four years ago. James Robertson Fraser, 36, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 10, 2020. He faces at least 16 years to life in prison for the murder of 26-year-old Pedro Francisco Toro. Previous convictions could result in a longer sentence, officials say.

The jury began their deliberations last Thursday after hearing the brutal case that was captured on a cell phone.

Toro was with a female friend, who had just broken up with Fraser when the defendant stabbed Toro in the neck, said Deputy District Attorney Elisabeth Hatcher.

Melissa Austin had broken up with Fraser just two days before to the stabbing. Toro, who met Austin as a handyman, was "very close" to her, though they were not considered a couple, Hatcher said.

Fraser was staying in a notorious drug house after Austin had kicked him out of her home, Hatcher said.

Earlier in the day of the stabbing, she went to see Fraser drop off some things and see her dog, Hatcher said.

Fraser pleaded to get back together, but Austin refused, saying she "had to go care for her grandmother." Her ex was upset when she left, Hatcher said.

When Austin returned to Fraser's residence later, she tried calling him, but there was no answer.

The moment of the stabbing was captured on her phone's voicemail, Hatcher said.

Fraser approached the car Toro and Austin were in and demanded Toro get out as the defendant challenged the victim to a fight, Hatcher said.

When Toro refused to go with Fraser to the backyard, the defendant knifed him in the neck and ran back in the house, Hatcher said.
A police officer who saw Austin driving erratically in the area of 1500 block of West Edithia Avenue, and speeding, pulled her over and saw Toro covered in blood, Hatcher said.

Toro was pronounced dead later at a hospital.

When police returned to Fraser's residence, the driveway had been "hosed down," Hatcher said.

Fraser turned himself into authorities one day after the stabbing.