Man Accused In Machete Attack On Girlfriend Ordered To Stand Trial

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A 57-year-old man accused of slicing his girlfriend with a machete during a domestic assault in Riverside and then fleeing south of the border, where he was apprehended, must stand trial for attempted murder and other charges, a judge ruled Monday.

Jose Luis Barron was apprehended in February following a years-long search.

At the end of a preliminary hearing Monday at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Steven Counelis ruled there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on the attempted murder count, along with aggravated mayhem, assault, domestic violence and sentence-enhancing weapon and great bodily injury allegations.

The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Aug. 14 and ordered that Barron remain held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

According to the District Attorney's Office, on Sept. 9, 2014, the Mexican national was involved in an argument with his then-girlfriend, identified only as Jane Doe, at their shared residence.
The agency alleges the defendant used a machete on the victim, inflicting "substantial injuries."

Witnesses called 911, and Barron fled the location.

The victim was hospitalized but ultimately recovered from her wounds.

Barron hid out in Mexico over eight years before his whereabouts were confirmed during a joint investigation by the D.A.'s Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals.

Federal police in Mexico tracked him down and took him into custody without incident, culminating in his extradition to the U.S. during the first week of February 2023.

He has prior misdemeanor convictions for assault and battery during an act of domestic abuse, records show.