Brother's Killing Near Temecula: Prosecutors Wrapping Up

Temecula CA

27 September, 2021

8:26 PM

Description

SAGE, CA — The prosecution is slated to rest Tuesday or Wednesday in the trial of a 30-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his older brother during a fight at their Sage home. Edgar Hernan Mancia is charged with murder in the June 2019 death of 29-year-old Daniel "Danny" Mancia. The prosecution has been calling witnesses in Mancia's trial for over two weeks, and its case-in-chief is nearing an end. It is unknown whether the defense intends to call witnesses, leaving open the possibility of closing arguments in the trial before the end of the week at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. The defendant is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the nearby Byrd Detention Center. According to a trial brief filed by the prosecution, the brothers were notorious for physical clashes with one another, and Daniel Mancia, who was two inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than Edgar, was known to prevail much of the time. Deputy District Attorney Josh DeGonia contended in the brief that on the night of June 16, 2019, another altercation erupted inside the Mancia family home in the 40000 block of San Ignacio Road, and the defendant's girlfriend, whose identity was not disclosed, became so concerned about the intensity of the brawl that she bolted from the residence and went home. DeGonia said Edgar Mancia suffered a black eye and bruises around his face and neck during the fisticuffs. Because of a lack of witnesses, what transpired at the property after the woman left was rooted mostly in theories based on circumstantial and physical evidence later recovered. The men's mother returned home from work in the predawn hours the following day and became concerned that she could not find Daniel, according to the brief. Sheriff's deputies patrolling the area located the victim's car parked on a road with a flat tire about four miles from the residence. When his mother learned of the find and the fact that her eldest son had not shown up for work that morning, she reported him missing. Detectives questioned the defendant, and he told them that he and his sibling had been drinking "and they became involved in a violent altercation," DeGonia wrote. "Edgar claimed he was experiencing alcohol-induced blackout and could not recall the events accurately," the brief stated. "Edgar claimed he remembered Daniel was on top of him, and at some point, Daniel choked him. Edgar said he was reaching for objects on the ground, and he may have obtained a kitchen utensil and stabbed Daniel." Blood evidence was found on the front porch of the house, according to court papers. "Investigators later found out there were firearms stored in the residence, and they discovered that a .308 caliber rifle was missing," DeGonia said. "Some of the nearby residents reported hearing the sound of a gunshot that Sunday night." The victim's remains have never been found despite multiple searches around the home and surrounding locations.