Retrial Proceedings Begin For Alleged Stomping Death Of Car Wash Manager

During a status hearing today, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Becky Dugan assigned the case to a courtroom at the Riverside Hall of Justice for pretrial motions, with jury selection expected to begin Monday.

Robbins is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail.

In the previous trial, Deputy District Attorney Michael Lough largely based his case on a security surveillance videotape that captured most of the March 23, 2014, confrontation at the McCall Storage & Car Wash.

Lough used the tape to reconstruct events leading up to the encounter, beginning with Robbins' visit to the car wash on the afternoon of March 22.

Images showed that after the Lancaster man vacuumed out his four-door sedan, he left the business without retrieving dry-cleaning that he'd placed on a fence. A couple hours later, another car wash customer snatched the articles before driving away.

Lough played segments that showed Robbins arriving the following morning, parking in a handicap spot and searching for his dry-cleaning. The defendant appeared visibly upset when unable to find the clothing, circling outside the main office, eventually knocking repeatedly on the glass door to the business, at which point Uyekawa answered.

The video recorded no sound as the victim and defendant spoke for the first time uneventfully. Robbins departed the business, but surveillance video showed him returning roughly 20 minutes later. By that time, Uyekawa had gone into the apartment adjacent to the main office, where he lived on-site.

Cameras captured Robbins making his way to the residence, from which Uyekawa emerged moments later carrying a birdcage pan, appearing ready to empty it. The video showed Robbins gesturing aggressively and apparently pushing the victim into a thorn bush.

The ensuing 30 seconds were obscured by a wall. However, Uyekawa later told sheriff's investigators that Robbins -- convinced that the car wash manager had stolen his garments and wouldn't give them back -- turned violent. The victim alleged that he was punched in the face and fell to the ground, where he attempted to grab onto the defendant's leg.
Lough alleged that Robbins stomped the older man's stomach before fleeing the scene. The defense insisted that Uyekawa was the aggressor and that Robbins reacted accordingly.

The video showed Uyekawa gripping his abdomen in obvious pain. He was transported to Menifee Valley Medical Center for an examination, but was released later in the day.

The victim was found by a coworker the following morning, dead in his apartment from a ruptured small intestine.

Previous coverage: 

• Hung Jury Prompts Mistrial for Man Accused of Killing Menifee Car Wash Manager
• Jury Impaneled for Trial of Man Accused of Killing Menifee Car Wash Manager
• Man Accused of Killing Menifee Car Wash Manager Over Missing Clothing Must Stand Trial, Judge Says
• Man Accused in Deadly Beating at Menifee Car Wash Due in Court

• Also see: Convicted Riverside Co. Murderer On San Quentin's Death Row Beats Guard

--City News Service