Man charged for murder after allegedly stabbing partner, then returning to crime scene

Costa Mesa police on Sunday arrested a 28-year-old local man suspected of fatally stabbing his live-in partner at their apartment.

Officers were called to the 500 block of Victoria Street shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday, after a call came in regarding a woman in need of medical attention, according to a release issued Monday by the Costa Mesa Police Department.

When officers and firefighters arrived at the residence, they discovered the body of a woman — Denise Avila, 29, of Costa Mesa — and pronounced her dead at the scene.

A suspect identified as Avila’s live-in partner, 28-year-old Martin Jonathan Lara-Garcia, was reportedly seen fleeing the scene in a vehicle just before police arrived at the apartment, the release stated.

However, hours into detectives’ investigation of the incident, and with officers still at the apartment, Lara-Garcia returned to the scene and was detained without incident, according to police. An object believed to be the weapon used in the homicide has been located.

Lara-Garcia faces one felony count of murder and a felony enhancement for personally using a deadly weapon, which could add a year to any sentence he would receive if convicted, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

CMPD spokeswoman Roxi Fyad told City News Service Monday it was not clear if Avila and Lara-Garcia were married, but they were living together at the time of the stabbing.

Social media posts belonging to people bearing the same names (Lara-Garcia goes by the name “Jhonny Lara”) and listing Costa Mesa as their city of residence, identify one another as spouses and, on one page, depict two wedding photos of the couple posted on December 4, 2021.

Lara-Garcia is currently being held in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 26 for an arraignment hearing, court records indicate.