Two felons accused of fatally stabbing a 58-year-old man during a robbery on the west end of Riverside were both charged Wednesday with first-degree murder.
Christopher James Buschbaum, 39, and Myron Vad Daniel, 67, both transients, were arrested Sunday following a Riverside Police Department investigation into the death of Michael Pope of Riverside.
Along with murder, Buschbaum and Daniel are each charged with robbery, conspiracy and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony. Buschbaum is additionally charged with a sentence enhancement for committing a crime while on bail.
“This was a senseless act of violence, but thanks to the quick actions of our dispatchers in obtaining critical information, the swift response by our patrol officers and the thorough investigative work by our homicide detectives, these two murder suspects are off the streets,” police Capt. Chad Milby said.
The defendants made a joint initial court appearance Wednesday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gail O’Rane, who appointed each an attorney and scheduled formal arraignment for Thursday morning at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Each man is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
According to Officer Ryan Railsback, shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday, the defendants were involved in a street confrontation with Pope in the 9900 block of Magnolia Avenue, about a block east of the Galleria at Tyler Mall.
Railsback alleged the encounter quickly escalated into violence, and the defendants attacked the victim, stabbing him several times.
Witnesses called 911, and patrol officers and paramedics reached the location minutes later, attempting emergency treatment on Pope, who was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he died the same day.
Railsback said Robbery-Homicide Unit detectives quickly identified the defendants as the alleged assailants. They were taken into custody without incident less than an hour after the alleged attack.
The men’s prior felony offenses were not listed in court documents.
