COUNTYWIDE : Youth, 17, to Be Arraigned in Killing

A 17-year-old Fillmore boy is scheduled to be arraigned in Ventura County Superior Court today on a charge of voluntary manslaughter in a fatal stabbing in Moorpark on Saturday.

The youth, whose name has not been disclosed, is being held at Juvenile Hall in Ventura. He is accused of fatally stabbing a man outside a condominium in the 500 block of Spring Street.

The victim, who still has not been identified, was beaten and robbed of a case of beer by three or four unidentified juveniles, Deputy Dist. Atty. James D. Ellison said.

The victim then confronted the 17-year-old, apparently in the mistaken belief that he was one of the robbers, Ellison said.

A fistfight ensued and the juvenile stabbed the victim, Ellison said.

The man died a short time later at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.

Although the stabbing victim started the fight, the youth is being charged because he was armed and the victim was not, Ellison said.

Voluntary manslaughter is defined as an unlawful killing committed in the heat of passion and without malice.

Ellison said he will ask for a hearing to determine whether the 17-year-old should be tried as an adult.

The maximum penalty for voluntary manslaughter is 11 years in prison.

The juvenile also is charged with using a weapon in the crime, which could add a year to any prison sentence.