Menifee Man Charged With Killing Ex-Wife's Pets Gets Hearing Date

MENIFEE, CA — A September preliminary hearing date was confirmed Monday for a convicted felon accused of igniting a fire that killed two animals in a Menifee home, then fleeing to Arizona, where he was apprehended.

Sean Joshua Halas, 53, of Menifee allegedly started a fire last year at his ex-wife's property on Shoreline Drive.

Halas is charged with arson, being in possession of an incendiary device for the purpose of arson and two counts of animal cruelty.

During a status hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Riverside County Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson set the preliminary hearing date for Sept. 1 after conferring with the prosecution and defense. The proceeding, which will determine whether there's sufficient evidence to try the defendant, is expected to last most of the day.

According to the District Attorney's Office, the June 24, 2020, fire significantly damaged the Shoreline Drive house, killing a dog and bird inside the two-story residence. A possible motive was not disclosed, nor was the identity of the homeowner.

At the time, Halas was on probation for a second-degree attempted murder conviction connected to a domestic attack in 2018, according to prosecutors, who said he was sentenced for that crime six days prior to the fire.

Witnesses alleged they saw the defendant's pickup truck racing away from the victim's residence shortly after the blaze erupted, according to the DA's office.

Based on evidence collected at the scene and witnesses' statements, Halas was charged with igniting the fire.

The DA's office noted that at his June 2020 sentencing for the attempted murder conviction, prosecutors had sought a nine-year state prison term, but Superior Court Judge Jorge Hernandez instead imposed a 365-day jail term, as well as three years felony probation. With credit for over 600 days of time served awaiting trial, the jail term was nullified, and Halas was freed.

A warrant was issued for the defendant's arrest at the end of last July, and the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force initiated a search for Halas that eventually led to Bullhead City, Arizona, where he was taken into custody without incident on Sept. 8, 2020.

He was extradited from Arizona to California two weeks later.

He's being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.