Man ordered to stand trial for mother’s stabbing death last year
A Long Beach man who allegedly stabbed his mother to death in their apartment last year has been ordered to stand trial for murder.
Superior Court Judge Christopher J. Frisco on Monday ruled there was sufficient evidence to allow the case against 25-year-old Nathaniel King to proceed to trial, court records show.
Nathaniel King is accused of stabbing his mother to death during an argument inside their Willmore neighborhood apartment back in January 2022.
He is charged with one count each of murder and kidnapping, according to court records.
Authorities were called to the 1000 block of Pacific Avenue on the morning of Jan. 18, 2022, after a report of someone in the area yelling for help, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
There, officers found 54-year-old Charity King inside the apartment suffering from multiple stab wounds to the upper body, police said.
She was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Nathaniel King, meanwhile, was taken into custody on suspicion of murder after someone at the scene pointed him out as a suspect, police said.
Nathaniel King pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in February 2022, after previously agreeing to postpone his arraignment while an attorney was assigned to him. But the criminal case was suspended in March 2022 when doubt arose over his mental competence.
After he was evaluated, a judge in November 2022 ruled he was well enough that the case could continue.
It’s not clear who or what prompted his mental competency to be doubted. The prosecutor’s office and Nathaniel King’s attorney did not respond to messages from the Long Beach Post.
During a preliminary hearing on Monday, Nathaniel King’s attorney motioned to have the charges dismissed due to insufficient evidence. But the motion was ultimately denied, and the judge ruled that Nathaniel King would be held to answer for his alleged crimes, court records show.
Nathaniel King is due back in court on March 27, where he’ll be asked to again enter a plea, court records show. He’s remained jailed in lieu of $2.085 million bail ever since his arrest, court records show.
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