Man Who Perpetrated Stabbing In Temecula Pleads Guilty To Attempted Murder

MURRIETA, CA — A 52-year-old man who stabbed a Temecula resident multiple times during a confrontation on the west end of the city pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted murder and was immediately sentenced to seven years in state prison.

Ricardo Castro of Los Angeles admitted the felony count under a pretrial agreement Wednesday with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for his admission, prosecutors dropped one related charge and a sentence-enhancing allegation against Castro.

During a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Superior Court Judge John Molloy certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.

According to Sgt. Joe Narciso of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the attack happened on the morning of March 16, 2025 at the Vintage View Apartments, near the intersection of Mira Loma Drive and Rancho Vista Road.

Patrol deputies were called to the apartment complex to investigate reports of an assault and encountered the victim "suffering from traumatic stab wounds," Narciso said.

He said that the man, whose identity was not disclosed, was taken to a regional trauma center for treatment. He has since recovered.

A possible motive for the stabbing was not provided.

Deputies from the county's Gang Impact Team, supported by their K9 Unit, took over the investigation, quickly identifying Castro as the perpetrator. He was tracked to a subdivision less than a mile to the west, in the area of Tierra Vista and Ynez roads, where he was taken into custody without incident that afternoon, according to Narciso.

The defendant had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

—City News Service