Man accused of beating man to death with bat in Thermal to stand trial
A suspect accused of beating a Thermal man to death must stand trial for murder, a judge ruled today.
Saul Mayoral, 50, is accused in the March 23 death of a man identified only as Hector Q. in court documents. The victim’s body was found in a drainage channel near the suspect’s mobile home, authorities said.
A local resident discovered the victim’s body at 7:17 a.m. in the 87800 block of Avenue 52 and flagged down deputies, according to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Wallace Clear.
Mayoral, who allegedly killed the victim with a bat, lived close to where the victim was found and was arrested later that evening.
Sheriff’s investigators have not revealed a motive in the alleged killing, nor how Mayoral is connected to the slain man.
At the time of his arrest, Mayoral was on probation for battery committed against a custodial officer, according to court records. In addition to the murder count, he also faces a sentence-enhancing allegation of using weapon in commission of a felony.
Mayoral, who’s being held in lieu of $1 million bail, is slated to return to court Sept. 28 for a post-preliminary hearing arraignment.
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