Fatal Knife Attack Suspect Goes To Trial In Riverside County

MORENO VALLEY, CA —A man accused of fatally stabbing a 51-year-old Moreno Valley resident during a confrontation in the victim's house must stand trial for murder and other charges, a judge ruled Monday.

Jose Luis Hernandez, 21, of Moreno Valley, allegedly killed Mauricio E. Moreno last year in the 13800 block of Sylmar Drive, near Cottonwood Avenue.

Following a preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Randall Stamen found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on the murder count, as well as a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing for Dec. 12 and left Hernandez's bail set at $1 million. He's being held at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Richard Carroll, Hernandez was involved in a dispute with Moreno for unspecified reasons while inside the victim's single-story house about 11 p.m. on July 10, 2021.

Carroll alleged that Hernandez pulled a knife and plunged it into Moreno, prompting witnesses to call 911.

Patrol deputies and paramedics reached the location within a few minutes and found the victim in grave condition. He was transported to nearby Riverside University Medical Center, where he died a short time later, the sergeant said.

Hernandez was taken into custody without incident at the residence.

He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.