Man who allegedly stabbed sister in face to stand trial for mayhem

A Desert Hot Springs man who allegedly stabbed his sister in the face must stand trial on a mayhem charge, a judge ruled today, but the judge dismissed an attempted murder charge.

Juan Angel Lopez, 37, is accused of attacking his sister on Dec. 7, 2017 at a transient camp in the city.

After the two argued on and off throughout the day, Lopez allegedly approached his then 35-year-old sister while she was talking to someone and stabbed her in the face with a knife, according to an arrest warrant declaration. It is unclear why the judge dismissed the attempted murder charge from court documents.

Desert Hot Springs man in custody for allegedly stabbing sister

The nature of the argument between Lopez and his sister was not detailed in the warrant, nor was the severity of her injuries that required hospitalization.

The sister, as well as other witnesses, positively identified Lopez as the suspect, according to the declaration, which also alleges that he sent several text messages to one of the witnesses that indicated he was coming to the area to stab his sister.

Prosecutors charged Lopez in early 2018 with attempted murder, mayhem and several sentence enhancements for causing great bodily injury. He was later taken into custody near the area of Hacienda Avenue and Verbena Drive, according to county jail records.

He remains jailed in Indio on the mayhem charge and is next due back in court Feb. 5.