SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A man accused of fatally stabbing his cousin in a Sabre Springs park pleaded not guilty Thursday to her murder.
Uriel Cedillo, 22, is accused in the Sunday death of Poway resident Fatima Marin Cedillo, who was stabbed around 2:30 a.m. at South Creek Park.
According to Deputy District Attorney Vanessa Gerard, the defendant was mad at his cousin because of injuries he'd suffered in a car crash weeks earlier, in which she was driving the vehicle.
When the 22-year-old victim arrived at the park, she went to give the defendant a hug, the prosecutor said, but when he reached out to hug her back, Gerard said Cedillo pulled out a knife and stabbed his cousin twice in the head and three times in the torso.
Paramedics took her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 3:45 a.m.
Cedillo was arrested later that day at 12500 Oak Knoll Road, said SDPD Lt. Andra Brown.
The criminal complaint charging Cedillo with murder also includes a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, meaning he could face capital punishment or life in prison without the possibility of parole, if convicted of all counts.
Cedillo remains in custody without bail.
