Man accused of stabbing senior to death in DHS found competent to stand trial
A man accused of fatally stabbing a senior citizen last fall in Desert Hot Springs was today found mentally competent to assist his defense counsel.
Albert Marchain, 27, of Desert Hot Springs, is suspected of stabbing Stanislaw Tokarski, whose body was found about 1:25 p.m. last Nov. 12 in the 66900 block of Hacienda Avenue. The 69-year-old victim had suffered multiple stab wounds.
Criminal proceedings were put on hold when doubt was declared about the defendant’s competency, and he was ordered in January to undergo a mental health evaluation. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Stafford considered the evaluation by a court-assigned psychologist and found Marchain mentally competent.
Marchain was arrested Nov. 13 on Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City by officers from both the Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City police departments.
The connection, if any, between Marchain and the victim was not disclosed, nor did investigators reveal what led them to link the defendant to the crime.
Along with murder, he faces a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a knife in the killing. Marchain is being held in lieu of $1 million bail and is due back in court on April 12 for a felony settlement conference.
