Accused Killer Of Lakeland Village Transient Ordered To Stand Trial

An ex-con accused of fatally beating a homeless man with a rock during a confrontation in a Lakeland Village transient camp must stand trial on murder and other charges, a judge ruled today.

Jason Lee Schmidt, 36, could face 51 years to life in prison if convicted in the June 8, 2012, slaying of 58-year-old Leopoldo Navarrete.

Following an hourlong preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dennis McConaghy determined there was sufficient evidence to bound Schmidt over for trial on the murder count, as well as resisting arrest and a sentence-enhancing weapon allegation.

McConaghy set a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for June 7 and left Schmidt's bail at $1 million. The defendant is being held at the Southwest Detention Center.

According to sheriff's investigators, Schmidt and Navarrete were loosely associated through encounters at a homeless camp known as the "Olive Groves," off of Adelfa Street and Grand Avenue in the community of Lakeland Village.

In an interview with detectives, the defendant allegedly admitted killing the victim, saying he became enraged when Navarrete mentioned having molested one of his grandchildren. According to the District Attorney's Office, relatives of the dead man vehemently denied that he ever had inappropriate contact with a juvenile family member.

Schmidt told sheriff's Investigator Robert Cornett that he picked up a rock and slammed it into the back of Naverrete's head, striking the man repeatedly until his arm "could not come up anymore," according to a case brief filed by Deputy District Attorney Burke Strunsky.

Navarrete was reported missing by his family on June 14. A sheriff's dive team searched for his remains in the lake and scoured the area where he was last seen, without success. Last July 19, a man walking in the area of Akley and Gillette streets, about two blocks from the homeless encampment, stumbled onto Navarrete's partially covered remains.

Interviews were conducted with transients at the camp, leading investigators to seek out Schmidt, who was staying at a group home in the 22000 block of Herbert Street in Good Hope. When investigators showed up to question him on Aug. 20, the defendant took off running but was quickly apprehended, according to sheriff's officials.

According to court records, Schmidt has multiple prior felony convictions, including for drug-dealing, burglary and attempted burglary. --City News Service