Teen Pleads Guilty To DHS Stabbing

A teenage boy pleaded guilty to an assault charge today for taking part in the gang-related stabbing and beating death of a Desert Hot Springs man outside a party.

Steven Ray Arellano, 15, pleaded guilty to felony assault likely to cause great bodily injury. He is expected to receive an eight-year prison term when he is sentenced Oct. 20.

The teen was among a group of seven boys charged in the June 13, 2010, death of 23-year-old Jose Alvarez Villalobos. All are being prosecuted as adults and accused of being gang members.

Arellano is the fifth teen to plead guilty to assault in the attack. David Larios, 18, and Omar Hernandez, 17, are the only remaining defendants. They each face the possibility of life in prison.

“The other two we believe were responsible for the stabbing,” Deputy District Attorney David Anderson said. “We are going forward (to trial) with them.”

Arellano, who turned 14 just one week before the attack, was initially thought to be among the teens who stabbed Villalobos. However, testimony at a preliminary hearing and other evidence led prosecutors to believe he likely only punched and kicked the victim.

Angel David Romero, 16, Ruben Alexander Chavez, 15, Samuel Manuel Vallejo, 17, and Bryan Gonzalez, 17, have already entered guilty pleas to the assault charge.

Romero was given eight years in prison because prosecutors said he had a more involved role in the attack, while Chavez, Vallejo and Gonzalez each received five-year terms.

Hernandez was an invited guest to a birthday party at a home in Desert Hot Springs, but several of his friends accompanied him to the event, according to prosecutors.

A 15-year-old witness testified during a February preliminary hearing that Hernandez confronted Villalobos, and his fellow gang members joined in, stabbing and beating the victim to death.