A man has been charged in Santa Barbara County Superior Court with murder in the fatal stabbing of a 51-year-old resident in Santa Maria last week.
Quayde George Taren, 30, who had a Lompoc address at the time of his arrest, was taken into custody following the Sept. 21 killing in the 700 block of East Betteravia Road.
Santa Maria police officers responded to the scene after receiving a report of a subject who was bleeding and in distress.
Officers determined that the 51-year-old male victim, identified in the criminal complaint as James Ackermann, had been violently assaulted and suffered serious lacerations. Ackermann later died at the hospital from his injuries, police said.
The investigation led to a suspect, Taren, as the person believed to have caused the injuries that led to the victim’s death.
After being contacted in the immediate vicinity of the crime, Teran was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of murder, police said. He also was held on a parole detainer.
In addition to murder, the criminal complaint includes a number of special allegations, or sentencing enhancements, including for use of a deadly weapon, identified as a knife, having a prior serious felony and aggravating factors.
Taren also will face another strike under the California Three Strikes Sentencing Law. He reportedly has a prior conviction for armed robbery.
His arraignment hearing was continued to Oct. 3.
Taren remains in custody without bail at the Santa Barbara County Northern Branch Jail.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.