A 34-year-old man suspected of stabbing three of his family members, one fatally, following a dispute in Indio, must stand trial on murder, a judge ruled Thursday.
In addition to the murder charge, Anthony William Piña-German of Indio is charged with two felony counts of attempted murder, according to court records. He also faces sentence-enhancing allegations of using a weapon during a felony and causing great bodily injury.
Following a preliminary hearing a the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Riverside Superior Court Judge John J. Ryan ruled that there was sufficient evidence to hold Piña-German to answer on all charges. A post-preliminary hearing arraignment was scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024.
At around 6:50 p.m. Nov. 26, 2022, officers responded to the 82900 block of Via Valencia to a family disturbance, and three unidentified men were found with stab wounds, according to Ben Guitron of the Indio Police Department.
Guitron said the victims and Piña-German were in a dispute before the stabbing occurred and the three men were taken to a hospital, where one of them died.
The decedent was not identified.
Piña-German allegedly left the scene before officers arrived and based on the circumstances, police investigated the stabbing as a homicide in conjunction with the Riverside County coroner’s office, according to Guitron.
Piña-German was found and arrested in El Centro the following morning. He remains held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on $1 million bail.
Anyone with information about the case was asked to call the Indio Police Department at 760-391-4051 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 760-341-7867 (STOP).