Son Pummeled Dad With Hammer Before Igniting Fire: RivCo Prosecutors

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CA — Prosecution testimony got underway Wednesday in the trial of a 30-year-old Desert Hot Springs man accused of trying to kill his father by severely beating him and setting fire to his mobile home as he lay unconscious on the floor.

Miguel Angel Espino is charged with attempted murder, arson, aggravated mayhem and sentence-enhancing weapon allegations in the 2018 attack on Arturo Espino Sr.

Following several days of jury selection, the prosecution and defense delivered opening statements at the Banning Justice Center Wednesday morning, after which Riverside County Superior Court Judge Francisco Navarro directed prosecutors to call their initial witnesses.

Testimony is slated to continue through the week and conclude early next week.

Espino is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, the defendant and his dad argued regularly and sometimes engaged in physical altercations, most of which stemmed from the younger Espino's tempestuous behavior.

Prior incidents included uncontrolled outbursts leading to vandalism of the elder man's mobile home, court papers say.

There was also an instance in which neighbors witnessed Miguel Espino pin his father's arms behind his back and drag him across a roadway in the mobile home where Arturo Espino and his wife resided in the 15600 block of Palm Drive in Desert Hot Springs, according to court papers.

On the afternoon of Aug. 7, 2018, there was another blowup at the residence, where only the father and son were present. According to the brief, the confrontation led to the defendant allegedly using a hammer to pummel his father about the head, inflicting major trauma.

Prosecutors alleged that after the victim dropped to the floor unconscious, Espino grabbed a pile of clothes and used flammable liquids in the mobile home to set them aflame in the hallway. He then fled.

Neighbors spotted the smoke and rushed into the burning residence, containing the fire with an extinguisher and calling 911, the brief stated.

They pulled the unconscious victim outside, and county fire personnel arrived moments later, knocking down the smoldering blaze, according to the prosecution. An arson investigator immediately determined that the fire had been intentionally set.

Arturo Espino was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where doctors were initially unsure he would survive due to the severity of the beating. He remained comatose for days before regaining consciousness, court papers said.

In the meantime, Desert Hot Springs police and Cal Fire arson investigators identified Miguel Espino as the prime suspect, based on conversations with neighbors and his mother, who had moved out of the mobile home park and obtained a restraining order against her son for fear of her life and property, according to court papers.

On Aug. 8, 2018, the defendant was located and taken into custody without incident.

He denied hurting his father, but monitored jail conversations between Espino and his mom confirmed he had attacked the victim, according to the prosecution.

The brief printed a transcript of one conversation in which Espino claimed that his father tried to assault him with a knife, and he in turn struck the victim with a rock and hammer.

He also told investigators someone else had been in the residence and ignited the fire, the brief said.

The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County, but along with the current case, he has multiple unresolved misdemeanor cases pending.