Man charged with stabbing and murdering a man in Costa Mesa

Case # 18WF0485

Date: February 28, 2018

MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR STABBING ACQUAINTANCE DURING DISPUTE IN COSTA MESA

*Defendant was out of custody after posting $60,000 bond for two 2015 cases

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged yesterday with murder for stabbing his acquaintance during a dispute in Costa Mesa.

Defendant: Jasper Bear Belknap, 21, Azusa

Charged on Feb. 27, 2018, with the following:

• One felony count of murder
• Sentencing Enhancement
• Personal use of a knife

Maximum Sentence: 26 years to life in state prison

Continued arraignment on March 16, 2018, 10:00 a.m. at Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana

At the time of the crime, the defendant was out of custody after posting $50,000 bond for case # 15NF1491. Belknap is accused in that case of one felony count each of first degree burglary, second degree burglary, identity theft of 10 or more victims with intent to defraud, unlawful taking of a vehicle, and two felony counts of mail theft. He also posted $10,000 bond for case # 15NM08097, and faces one misdemeanor count each of vandalism, disturbing the peace, and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia.

Circumstances of the Case

• On Feb. 12, 2018, at approximately 2:45 a.m., Belknap is accused of meeting with 23-year-old Austin Robinson on a sidewalk in Costa Mesa and getting into a verbal dispute with the victim.
• The defendant is accused of stabbing Robinson with a pocket knife once in the chest and fleeing the scene.
• The victim called 911 and the Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) responded.
• Paramedics transported Robinson to a local hospital where he died hours later as a result of the stab wound.
• CMPD investigated this case and identified Belknap as a suspect.
• On Feb. 23, 2018, at approximately 12:00 p.m., a Garden Grove Police Department officer located and detained the defendant in Garden Grove. CMPD detectives arrested him.

Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy, Homicide Unit

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