SANTA ANA, Calif. – A 23-year-old man was sentenced today to 25 years to life in state prison for fatally stabbing a Tustin man who was out for a walk in his neighborhood more than four years ago.
Miguel Angel Orellana of Anaheim previously pleaded guilty to one felony count of first-degree murder and admitted the special allegation that he personally used a knife during the commission of the crime.
On Dec. 9, 2019, David Nakaki, 62, was walking in his neighborhood after returning home from work when Orellana got out of a vehicle and demanded money from the victim. When Nakaki said he didn’t have any money with him, Orellana fatally stabbed him and returned to the vehicle and fled.
Orellana’s girlfriend, Erika Pineda, 29, of Santa Ana was driving the vehicle at the time of the murder. She has been charged with one felony count of conspiracy to commit a robbery and one felony count of accessory after the fact. Pineda faces a possible maximum sentence of five years and eight months in prison. She is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on April 19.
“A man who was simply out for a nighttime walk in his own neighborhood was callously murdered when he said he left his wallet at home,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “This is as cold-hearted and ruthless as a homicide case can be. Instead of walking away, this defendant decided to take someone’s life and leave a family with a lifetime of grief and mourning because of a reckless act.”
Senior Deputy District Attorney Anna McIntire of the Homicide Unit prosecuted this case.
