Murder trial to begin in 2011 death of sex offender in O.C.
A man accused of killing a registered sex offender in a San Juan Capistrano mobile home park and attacking a second victim days later goes on trial Monday for murder.
Robert Vasquez, 36, could face a sentence of life in state prison without parole if convicted, according to a statement from the Orange County district attorney’s office.
On Dec. 1, 2011, Vasquez allegedly waited for Bobby Rainwater Jr., 55, to leave his mobile home in San Juan Capistrano and then punched him in the back of his head, officials said.
Vasquez is accused of stabbing Rainwater repeatedly and killing him.
Vasquez wanted to kill the man because Rainwater was a registered sex offender, said Ebrahim Baytieh, the deputy district attorney who is prosecuting the case.
Two days later, on Dec. 3, Vasquez was arrested at a friend’s home, where he had allegedly assaulted his friend’s brother with a metal object, Baytieh said.
That victim, Lance Lyons, 44, suffered fractures to bones around his nose and mouth, officials said.
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Twitter: @emfoxhall
emily.foxhall@latimes.com
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