Man accused of Pismo Beach stabbing is innocent, attorney says as new details are revealed
Editor’s Note: This story mentions suicide.
The defense attorney representing the man accused of stabbing a Pismo Beach man to death said his client was innocent during a court appearance on Monday, claiming the injury to the victim was a single stab wound with “minimal blood.”
Andrew Rodriguez, 34, of Santa Maria was accused of fatally stabbing 39-year-old Jonathan Perez in downtown Pismo Beach on Sept. 11. Perez was declared dead at the scene. Rodriguez and Perez were “known acquaintances” at the time, police said.
Rodriguez entered a not guilty plea to murder on Sept. 30.
In a court hearing Monday, defense attorney Ilan Funke-Bilu said he had not received an autopsy report and could not schedule a preliminary hearing without it. He said he needed to review the report because he believed his client was innocent, adding that Perez’s alleged injury was “one stab wound and minimal blood.“
A preliminary hearing is the first time a judge hears the summary of evidence the District Attorney’s Office has against a defendant. At the end of a preliminary hearing, the judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for the defendant to face trial.
Funke-Bilu told San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Timothy Covello it was “inexcusable” to wait three months for an autopsy report. After a short chambers conference with Funke-Bilu and San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Kimberly Dittrich, it was discovered that the District Attorney’s Office had not received the report either.
Covello said in court that the autopsy was completed on Sept. 14, three days after the incident, but that the San Luis Obispo County Coroner’s Office had not yet completed the report. He ordered the agency to complete the report and send it to the District Attorney’s Office no later than Jan. 3, at which time the District Attorney’s Office will the share it with Funke-Bilu.
The next court hearing was scheduled for Jan. 6.
What happened in the Pismo Beach stabbing?
On the evening of Sept. 11, the Pismo Beach Police Department responded to reports of an unresponsive male in the 1200 block of Price Street, the agency said in a news release at the time. When officers arrived, they found Perez with a fatal stab wound.
Police said they quickly identified Rodriguez, who allegedly fled to Ventura County and attempted suicide. Under the supervision of police officers, Rodriguez was taken to a Ventura County hospital.
He was released Sept. 15 and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murdering Perez.
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office charged Rodriguez with murder on Sept. 17, adding a sentencing enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon, in this case a “stabbing instrument or knife.”
According to the charge sheet, Rodriguez has three prior serious or violent felony convictions from a single incident on Sept. 17, 2009, in Ventura County, but five possible sentencing enhancements stemming from the convictions.
He was convicted of one felony count of sexual intercourse with a victim who couldn’t consent because of intoxication, one felony count of sexual penetration of an unconscious victim and one felony count of burglary in 2010.
Rodriguez remains in San Luis Obispo County Jail custody without bail.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 988. You can also call the Central Coast Hotline at 800-783-0607 for 24-7 assistance. To learn the warning signs of suicide, visit 988lifeline.org.
