‘He lit up a room,’ friend shares memories of man brutally murdered in Palm Springs

Marc Huestis is still in disbelief following the brutal murder of his friend, 68-year-old Robert DeTulio. DeTulio was fatally stabbed on Monday by a 22-year-old investigators said he was in a relationship with.

The suspect, Evan Steele, has been charged with two felony counts for murder and breaking and entering. Steele pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment Wednesday at the Larsen Justice Center in Indio.

Steele remains held in banning on a $1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court on April 8.

Huestis said he first met Robert in the mid-1980's when they both lived in San Francisco and both ended up in Palm Springs in recent years. Huestis noted that DeTulio had a catering company and loved to cook and dance. "He lit up a room. Bobby lit up a room. He was always the life of the party," according to Huestis.

Watch News Channel 3 at 4:00 for the full report.