San Gabriel Valley Man Accused of Stabbing Acquaintance Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Murder

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA – A San Gabriel Valley man accused of stabbing an acquaintance during a confrontation outside a Moreno Valley home pleaded not guilty Tuesday to attempted murder and other felonies.

Joseph Lee Kim, 30, of Montclair was arrested earlier this month following a Riverside County sheriff's investigation.

Along with the attempted murder count, Kim was charged with assault resulting in great bodily injury and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.

Kim was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Helios Hernandez, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 19 and left the defendant's bail set at $1 million.

Kim is being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.

Kim and the victim, whose name was withheld, got into an argument in the early morning hours of July 9 in front of the residence, at the intersection of Moreno Beach Drive and John F. Kennedy Drive, according to sheriff's Sgt. James Rayls.

During the dispute -- the cause of which was not disclosed -- Kim pulled a knife and stabbed the other man in the upper body, Rayls alleged.

Rayls said deputies were called to the location and discovered the victim, who was taken to Riverside University Medical Center in serious but stable condition. The man has since been released from the hospital.
Kim was gone, but detectives identified him as the alleged attacker after speaking with witnesses and gathering evidence at the scene, culminating in his arrest four days later, according to Rayls.

Kim has no prior convictions in Riverside County.

• Also see: Second Suspected Murder-Suicide This Week Reported In Beaches Area

– By City News Service