SJC Murder Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

The San Juan Capistrano man accused of killing his neighbor and attempting to kill another local man pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a Santa Ana courthouse.

Last month, Robert Eugene Vasquez, 34, on one count of murder with a special circumstance for lying in wait, and one count of aggravated assault.

On Dec. 1, off Alipaz Street for Bobby Ray Rainwater to emerge from the mobile home he shared with his elderly parents.

When he did, Vasquez attacked from behind, punching Rainwater and stabbing him multiple times with a knife, , law enforcement officials said.

Neighbors heard the early morning attack, but Vasquez managed to disappear before deputies arrived. The next day, he visited a nearby acquaintance, and spent the night after an evening of pizza and movies.

The acquaintance, Sean Lyons, said he woke up around 5 the next morning to see , 43, a local musician. Rising to fight him off and then chase him away, Sean Lyons stopped what officials believe could have easily been a fatal blow.

Deputies caught up with Vasquez later that day, and eventually realized they had the suspect in the earlier murder.

If convicted, Vasquez faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole, according to a District Attorney’s press release. 

His trial is set for Aug. 6, said a spokeswoman for the D.A.