REDWOOD CITY (KRON) — A Turlock man charged with fatally stabbing a man behind a Wendy’s parking lot in Belmont last month pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday.
Prosecutors argue that 19-year-old Timothy Andrew Guerra killed Denis Meshchyshyn, 19, of Belmont, on April 25 because he was upset over a small amount of money he had given Meshchyshyn.
According to court documents, Guerra moved to Belmont in late March, and met Meshchyshyn through mutual friends. The district attorney’s office says Guerra got angry when he gave Meshchyshyn $10 for a ride, but Meshchyshyn never followed through.
Prosecutors said that when Guerra found out that his friends were meeting Meshchyshyn in the Wendy’s parking lot, Guerra got a ride and confronted Meshchyshyn at the fast food restaurant in the 600 block of Ralston Avenue.
Meshchyshyn was stabbed several times in the abdomen and back. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.
Police arrested Guerra in Turlock on April 29.
Guerra was remanded to custody and will be back in court on July 9 to set a preliminary hearing date.