Suspect In North Bay Theater Stabbing Pleads Not Guilty To Earlier Fatal Stabbing Of Transient

NORTH BAY, CA – A man charged with stabbing a man several times in a Santa Rosa movie theater pleaded not guilty today in Sonoma County Superior Court to the stabbing murder of a local transient two days earlier.

Delonte Anthony Hart's attorney Tyler Hicks wants to sever the two cases, and a hearing on that motion is scheduled for Sept. 21. Hart is being held under no bail in the Sonoma County Jail.

Santa Rosa police arrested Hart in jail July 18 for the murder of Cirak Mateos Tesfazgi, 32, in front of 418 Riley St. in Santa Rosa around 1 a.m. on June 27. Tesfazgi was stabbed more than 50 times, and police found a large chef-style knife at the scene, police Sgt. Josh Ludtke said.

Hart was previously charged and pleaded not guilty to the attempted stabbing murder of Adam Lucero, 21, in the Roxy Stadium 14 Theater at 85 Santa Rosa Ave. in downtown Santa Rosa around 4 p.m. on June 29.
Lucero, who moved from Los Angeles to the Bay Area, was stabbed four times in the right arm, lung, ear and neck from behind as he watched the movie "The Shallows."

Santa Rosa police said Hart discarded the knife in a garbage can before he was arrested shortly after the theater assault.

Ludtke said the knives were taken from the Macy's store in the Santa Rosa Plaza, and police saw Hart on a store video inside Macy's and leaving near a stairwell where packaging for the set of knives was found.

Police took Hart's clothing for evidence when he was arrested for the theater stabbing, and Tesfazgi's blood was found on the clothing and his fingerprints were found on the knife at the murder scene, Ludtke said.

The knife Hart discarded after the theater assault was identical to the knife found at the murder scene, Ludtke said. Santa Rosa police officers on the Downtown Enforcement Team identified the Hart as the man in
the Macy's video based on their prior casual encounters with him.

• Also see: High-Risk Sex Offender Tracked With GPS Monitor To Sonoma Co. Fair: Police

Previous stabbing coverage:

• Santa Rosa Theatre-Stabbing Suspect Already In Custody Is Arrested For Murder
• Attempted Murder Charges Filed Against Suspect, 23, In Movie Theater Stabbing
• Unprovoked Movie Theatre Stabbing In Santa Rosa Sends 1 To Hospital

--Bay City News/Image of suspect Hart via Santa Rosa police