Eyewitness Says Simas Joined 2 Others in Fatal Attack on Student

Three teenagers, including accused murderer Ryan Simas, chased down and beat Ventura High School student Jesse Strobel in an unprovoked attack seven years ago, an eyewitness testified Monday during the Hollywood chef’s nonjury trial.

Tony Servin, 21, told a Ventura County Juvenile Court judge that he and the three teens were cruising in Simas’ car on the night of Jan. 29, 1993, when they spotted a solitary figure walking on a dark residential street near the high school. Servin said the three other youths jumped out of the car and chased the stranger.

“They started just beating him,” Servin testified, telling the judge he watched from a distance as his friends called to him to join in the fight. “I was scared. I didn’t want to do anything.”

Servin is the first witness to testify about the fatal attack on Strobel, a 17-year-old football player who was walking home from work when he was jumped by the carload of teens. Wounded and bleeding from stab wounds, Strobel staggered to a neighbor’s house. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Prosecutors allege the slaying occurred during an attempted robbery. But Servin could not recall any motive for the attack when questioned by Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Simon late Monday afternoon.

“I don’t know why they did it,” he said. “It’s been so long.”

Servin, a tall, soft-spoken man who was a Santa Paula middle school student at the time of the attack, was called to the witness stand. Nervous and hesitant, he at times struggled to remember details of the attack and on cross-examination admitted that he has “a really bad memory.”

But on one point Servin was clear: Simas did indeed join in the fight that night.

Servin and another youth have been granted immunity from prosecution for testifying against the 24-year-old Simas, whom authorities say intentionally lied to police seven years ago and identified an innocent Ventura High School student as the killer to throw the investigation off track.

Prosecutors have charged Simas--now a Los Angeles resident and chef at Spago restaurant in West Hollywood--with murder and a special allegation that he committed murder during a robbery. Simas has denied those charges. The case is being handled in Juvenile Court because Simas was 16 at the time of the incident.

Defense attorney Richard Millard maintains that Simas was threatened to keep quiet by Jose “Pepe” Castillo, one of the other teens in the car that night. Castillo has since admitted to stabbing Strobel and last year pleaded guilty to his murder.

On cross-examination Monday, Servin testified that he kept the attack a secret because he was fearful of Castillo. Servin testified that after the assault, Castillo told them he had stabbed the victim, who they later learned was Strobel. Servin testified that Castillo was worried that one of the teens would “rat” on him.

Servin also told Juvenile Court Judge Brian Back that the assault probably never would have happened if Castillo had not been in the car that night. He said neither he nor Simas had ever been involved in gangs or acts of violence.

Earlier in the day, Millard asked Back to dismiss the entire case and release his client from custody after accusing the prosecution of withholding a tape-recorded interview with one of the witnesses. Back rejected the request.

Testimony is scheduled to resume today with Joel Contreras, the fourth teen in the car, taking the stand.