Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Palmdale Man Cleared in Fight That Killed Airman

Prosecutors on Wednesday dropped a murder charge filed against Palmdale resident Desiderio Renteria after determining he was not involved in a scuffle early Friday morning that left one Edwards Air Force Base airman dead and a second wounded.

Airman 1st Class Micah J. Mahaffey, 20, was fatally stabbed in the chest and abdomen and Airman Brent A. Kaiser, 19, suffered blows to the head from a blunt object wielded during the melee in a parking lot near O’Hara’s Cantina restaurant and bar on Valley Central Way.

Both men were assigned to the base’s fire department. Mahaffey was from Illinois and had been stationed at Edwards since November, 1991. Kaiser is a California resident who has been at Edwards since January, according to Gary Hatch, media relations officer for the base.

On Tuesday, 21-year-old Paul Lefeve pleaded innocent to charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon stemming from the fight and was held in lieu of $500,000 bail. The Palmdale resident turned himself in to authorities the day of the incident.

Renteria, 20, was arrested based upon information provided by several sources, but was cleared Wednesday.

“His story proved to be factual and inconsistent with involvement,” Deputy Dist. Atty. David Evans said.

Evans said law enforcement officers have a description of the second suspect involved in the fight but are not releasing it to the public.

“We’re currently looking for the second person,” said Sgt. Robert Stoneman of the sheriff’s information bureau. “If he’s found, we’ll arrest him for murder.”

The Friday morning argument apparently began during a “hot legs” competition hosted by O’Hara’s Cantina. Lefeve’s girlfriend and a female friend of Kaiser both entered the contest.

An argument began after Kaiser and his friend reportedly made derogatory comments about Lefeve’s girlfriend, who won the competition, calling her a “slut” and a “tramp,” Evans said.

Employees at the restaurant ejected the four men, and the fight started as the two airmen headed toward their cars parked across the street.