Man pleads not guilty to stepfather’s murder in Rancho Mirage

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - A 36-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing his elderly stepfather last week in Rancho Mirage was officially charged with murder on Tuesday.

Joshua Jordan Kohain-King of Yucca Valley was arrested on Thursday in connection with the murder of Carl Harry Smith, 76, of Rancho Mirage.

Kohain-King was arraigned on a murder charge Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, in which he pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to return to court for a Felony Settlement Conference on Oct. 15. He remains in custody on $1 million bail.

Deputies responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at 8:33 p.m. Thursday in the 36000 block of Palm View Road. Arriving deputies encountered Smith suffering from "injuries consistent with stab wounds,'' the department stated. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Kohain-King was identified as the suspect and taken into custody without incident. It was unclear what led investigators to identify Kohain-King as the suspect. A possible motive was not disclosed.

The investigation was ongoing, and anyone with additional information was asked to call 951-955-2777.