A preliminary hearing has been set for Feb. 1 for Rory Patrick Fay, 31, who has been charged with the beating death of Flinn Springs resident Bren Fisher, 64.
Fay, who also lived in Flinn Springs, pleaded not guilty to murder Jan. 19 before El Cajon Superior Court Judge Patricia Cookson. She set bail at $1 million.
A preliminary hearing has been set for Feb. 1 for Rory Patrick Fay, 31, who has been charged with the beating death of Flinn Springs resident Bren Fisher, 64.
Fay, who also lived in Flinn Springs, pleaded not guilty to murder Jan. 19 before El Cajon Superior Court Judge Patricia Cookson. She set bail at $1 million.
“He bludgeoned the 64-year-old victim to death,” said Deputy District Attorney Andrew Aguilar, who said Fisher suffered a skull fracture from an unknown weapon and was found dead Jan. 7 in his home.
Aguilar said Fay was found in possession of items that were in Fisher’s home in the 9900 block of Bridon Road in the unincorporated area of El Cajon. “They do know each other and lived in the same neighborhood,” said Aguilar.
Fay was already in jail on a probation violation in a drug conviction when he was charged with killing Fisher. No motive was discussed in court.
First person sentenced in Santee murder of homeless man
A 3-year state prison term was handed down Jan. 20 for Cassidy Rowin, 19, who is the first person to be sentenced among four others charged with killing a homeless man, Stephen Lee Hissom, 55, in Santee in Nov., 2014.
Rowin pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and a murder charge was dismissed. She was given credit for already serving 479 days in jail and ordered to pay funeral costs of approximately $5,000.
Two sisters of Hissom spoke to El Cajon Superior Court Judge Herbert Exarhos. Rowin’s family was also present. Rowin could have received a maximum 6-year term in the plea agreement.
Brian Kish, 20, pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon, and will be sentenced on May 16. A trial date of April 11 has been set for Tyler Scott Dare, 20, Danny Swan III, 20, and Sarah Baillie, 19, who are charged with murder and have pleaded not guilty. All are from East County and remain in jail.
La Mesa man sentenced for hate crime
John David Weissinger, 54, of La Mesa, was sentenced Jan. 19 to one year in jail after he pleaded guilty to committing a hate crime and making a criminal threat to an American-Muslim group.
Weissinger had been free on $50,000 bond and was remanded to jail by San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh who placed him on five years probation. Weissinger was ordered to stay away from employees of the Council on American-Islamic Relations where he had made telephoned threats and came near their offices.
The threats were made on Jan. 14-15, 2015, following the slaying of 17 people in Paris, France at the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper offices and a Jewish market.
“This conduct is not going to be treated lightly,” said Walsh. “This type of conduct will not be tolerated.”
Weissinger’s attorney, Michael Malowney, said his client’s conduct was the result of a combination of drinking alcohol excessively and watching Fox news accounts of the Paris massacre.
“It was after a week of watching Fox news over and over,” said Malowney.
The sheriff’s department said his projected release is set for July 19. Weissinger also pleaded guilty to possession of an assault rifle.
