Valley man who fled country to stand trial for alleged 2008 murder
A man who fled to Central America after allegedly killing a Sky Valley woman nearly a decade ago will stand trial for first-degree murder, a judge ruled Friday.
Edward Lee LeBlanc, 38, is accused of stabbing Kristin Miner, a 44-year-old Thousand Palms resident whose remains were found burned and buried in a shallow grave in the desert north of Dillon Road in July 2008.
LeBlanc allegedly stabbed Miner in the stomach following an argument.
According to court documents, a woman told police that on the night of Feb. 12, 2008, Miner, LeBlanc and another woman arrived at her house. Miner told the homeowner that she needed to move some vehicles onto the woman’s property for a short time.
The woman agreed, despite having past issues with LeBlanc, who she alleged held a gun to her daughter’s head in a past incident, according to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant.
Miner was allegedly stabbed outside the house the following morning. The woman did not witness the stabbing but saw Miner walking around, bent over at the waist, holding bloody towels to her midsection, according to the declaration.
LeBlanc said he would take Miner to a hospital and drove away in her van, later found shot up and abandoned in the desert, with a bloody towel nearby, according to the document.
According to court documents, several people also told sheriff’s investigators that LeBlanc bragged to them about killing Miner in the months following her death.
Leblanc fled the country but was captured in October 2016 in Cuyotenango, Guatemala. He was extradited to the United States and held in Miami prior to his arrival in Riverside County.
Federal authorities said a tip about LeBlanc’s whereabouts was received by the FBI, leading to his arrest by federal agents and officers of the Guatemala National Civil Police.
At the time of his capture, federal authorities were offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his arrest.
LeBlanc is next due in court Sept. 7 for a post-preliminary hearing arraignment.
