Deliberations Begin in Trial of Felon Accused of Killing Indio Store Patron
Jury deliberations got underway today in 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.
The prosecution and defense delivered closing statements Monday afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice, after which Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Koosed ordered jurors to return to the downtown courthouse Tuesday morning to begin deliberations in the nearly two-week trial.
Munoz 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 Riverside County District Attorney's Office, the defendant confronted Brock in the parking lot of the Circle K at 79-985 Highway 111 shortly before 1 a.m. on March 14, 2020.
Prosecutors say Munoz's behavior had been erratic that night, and there was never a clear explanation for why the victim was targeted. He was a regular 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 ran but only made it a short distance before Munoz caught up with him 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 less than an hour 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, already investigating the deadly knife assault, obtained a description of the assailant at the house and realized it matched 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 the defendant has prior convictions for robbery, domestic violence, theft and vandalism.
