A 28-year-old man jumped into an argument outside an Anaheim restaurant that was already settling down, riling it up into a fistfight that led the defendant to fatally stab his opponent, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday.
Armando Andrei Urbina-Martinez is charged with murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. He is accused of killing 22-year-old Cody Stewart on Oct. 30, 2020, outside the Las Brisas Mexican Restaurant, 1734 S. Euclid St.
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"On Oct. 30, 2020, defendant, Mr. Urbina, involved himself in an argument that had absolutely nothing to do with him," Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeff Moore said. "At the time he involved himself in that argument that argument was settling down."
Urbina-Martinez's attorney, Cameron Talley, deferred his opening statement in the trial until later.
"The defendant plunged a knife into his heart and Cody Stewart, who was 22, was dead," Moore said.
Stewart and two other friends -- Daniel Canales and Zachary Chavez -- went to Harvey's Sports Bar at 1728 S. Euclid, but the bar was closed so they went over to the restaurant in the same shopping center.
"While they were at Las Brisas everyone's having a good time," Moore said.
The three were enjoying the karaoke, food and drinks, he said.
"Those guys had the place rockin'," Moore said.
When the restaurant closed for the night, the three got into a dispute in the parking lot at about 2:15 a.m., Moore said.
Either Stewart or someone in his group made an insulting remark that is derogatory to homosexuals toward someone else in the parking lot wearing a San Francisco Giants cap, Moore said.
"These two groups start arguing about the comment," Moore said. "It was a lot of drunk trash talk, posturing and insults."
But eventually the dispute "calmed down," Moore said.
That's when Urbina-Martinez "interjected himself" into the conflict, Moore said.
"He comes over and starts telling everyone to leave, kind of inflaming the situation," Moore said.
Stewart either knocked down the defendant with a punch or threw him to the ground, Moore said.
The defendant scrambled to his feet and the two were fist fighting, Moore said.
"It was a one-on-one fight, but the defendant started fighting with a knife and Cody's fighting with his fists," Moore said.
After Stewart was stabbed multiple times, he and his friends got in the car they came in and dialed 911 as they attempted to get Stewart to a hospital, Moore said.
Urbina-Martinez went to work the next morning after stuffing bloody clothes in a bag, Moore said. The defendant was questioned by police and arrested, the prosecutor said.
Urbina-Martinez's former boss at a car body shop, Rebecca Appleby, testified that when she saw he had a lavender-colored knife on his desk she asked him why he got it. Urbina-Martinez said he got it from a tool supplier at work for self-defense because he was having issues with a man over his girlfriend at a local bar, Appleby testified.
Urbina-Martinez told police he had an argument with his girlfriend earlier in the day before the fight with Stewart, Moore said.
"So he was in kind of a bit of a mood," Moore said.
Under questioning from Talley, Appleby said she offered advise to her co-worker.
"I remember telling him to change bars," she said.
Talley asked her if some of her co-workers used knives to open boxes, but Appleby said a razor was usually used for that.
Talley also asked if she knew that some knives are useful for battery chargers and flash lights, but Appleby said she wasn't that familiar with knives.
Talley also asked her if she was aware that Urbina-Martinez had police cadet training, and she said she was not aware of that.
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