Body Never Found, But Jury Finds RivCo Man Guilty Of Murder

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A Sage man who gunned down his older brother during a brawl and stashed the body where it apparently remains hidden to this day was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder.

After two days of deliberations, a Murrieta jury found Edgar Mancia guilty of the June 2019 slaying of 29-year-old Daniel "Danny" Mancia.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Freer scheduled a sentencing hearing for Dec. 17 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

Mancia, now 30 years old, is being held without bail at the nearby Byrd Detention Center, facing 15 years to life in state prison.

The prosecution and defense made their closing statements Monday, and jury deliberations in the three-week trial got underway Tuesday morning.

"The defendant's conduct created the situation," Deputy District Attorney Josh DeGonia told the jury. "His conduct led to the death of Daniel Mancia."

DeGonia pointed to the frequent battles between the brothers as confirmation of their underlying animosities, fueled by excessive alcohol consumption.

On the night of June 16, 2019, another altercation erupted inside the Mancia family home in the 40000 block of San Ignacio Road.

"It spilled into the hallway, then into the living room," the prosecutor told jurors.

The intensity of the clash sent Edgar Mancia's girlfriend fleeing from the residence for her own for safety, according to the prosecution.

DeGonia recalled how the brothers were using everything they could get their hands on to strike each other, including a towel rack torn from a bathroom wall.

The prosecutor said that Edgar Mancia likely used a .308-caliber rifle to end the fight and snuff out his brother's life.

"Actions have consequences," the prosecutor said. "The defendant must be held accountable for his actions."

Defense attorney Michael Scafiddi told jurors that they were being asked to convict his client of murder "based on purely circumstantial evidence."

"No one is 100% sure what happened to him," Scafiddi said.

He emphasized the size difference between the siblings -- Daniel Mancia at 6 feet, 2 inches and 230 pounds, and the defendant at 5 feet 11, inches and 180 pounds -- as an important element regarding who likely had the upper hand during the fight.

"Daniel breaks my client's face," the attorney said, adding that "whatever act was committed" by Edgar Mancia to protect himself was probably justified.

Scafiddi said instead of the scenario outlined by the prosecution, in which the defendant shoots his brother and manages to transport his body where it will never be found, it's possible the victim left the residence in a highly agitated state following the clash and met with foul play elsewhere.

The attorney pointed to the numerous marijuana farms in the area, which are often occupied by armed individuals who will shoot trespassers. He said Daniel Mancia could have wandered onto one and been killed, then thrown into a ditch.

The bottom line, according to the attorney, is that there was no DNA evidence, "no smoking gun" and no witnesses, leaving open any number of possibilities.

According to DeGonia's trial brief, in an interview with detectives within a couple of days of his brother's disappearance, "Edgar claimed he remembered Daniel was on top of him, and at some point, Daniel choked him. Edgar said he ... may have obtained a kitchen utensil and stabbed Daniel."

The .308-caliber rifle was located hidden in bushes at the rear of the property.

"Some of the nearby residents reported hearing the sound of a gunshot that Sunday night," according to the brief.

Edgar Mancia had a felony drunken driving conviction from 2014, court records show.