Jury selection starts for trial of La Quinta accused of killing store customer

Jury selection got underway today for the trial of a parolee accused of fatally stabbing a convenience store customer during a confrontation in Indio.

Vicente Angel Munoz, 32, of La Quinta is charged with murder, a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony and parole violations for the 2020 slaying of 29-year-old Maurice Brock of Indio.

Pretrial motions concluded Tuesday, and Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Koosed summoned several panels of prospective jurors to the Riverside Hall of Justice on Wednesday for screening as to their availability and qualifications. Prospects received questionnaires to fill out, after which proceedings concluded for the day.

Koosed ordered the panels to return next week, following the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Munoz, whose case was transferred to the Riverside courthouse from the Larson Justice Center in Indio on Monday, is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail.

According to an evidentiary brief attached to motions filed by the District Attorney's Office, Munoz confronted Brock in the parking lot of the Circle K at 79-985 Highway 111 shortly before 1 a.m. on March 14, 2020.   

Authorities said the defendant's behavior had been erratic that night, and there was never a clear explanation for why Brock was targeted. He was a regular nightly customer at the convenience store, while Munoz was a stranger, according to witnesses.

During the encounter, the parolee became physical with the victim, who tried to push him away, at which point the defendant pulled a knife and stabbed Brock, who began running away with Munoz on his heels, prosecutors alleged.  

The defendant caught up to the victim and allegedly stabbed him again, then fled the location on foot, according to the prosecution.   

Brock was taken to JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio, where he died a short time later.

Munoz returned to his family's residence at 79-290 Camino Rosada, where he turned hostile with his brother and others, who called 911 saying "Vicente is waving a knife at the family,'' court papers stated.

Sheriff's deputies, who were already investigating the deadly knife assault, obtained a description of the assailant at the house and realized it matched details of the man who had allegedly perpetrated the attack on Brock.   

They went to the La Quinta residence and arrested Munoz without incident.   

Court records show that the defendant has prior convictions for robbery, domestic violence, theft and vandalism.