Some Charges Drop Against Alleged Murderer

A charge and two enhancements were dropped against a man accused of killing a pastor’s son in Temecula.

Matthew Alexis Basler, 32, was charged with four felony counts stemming from the stabbing death of Ryan Joshua Armstrong, then 22, and the attempted murder of Armstrong’s friend, Joel Ross.

The first charge was murder with two enhancements: using a deadly weapon to commit a felony and committing a “serious” felony with a deadly weapon. The first enhancement was stricken, according to court records.

The second charge was attempted murder with the same two enhancements. The same enhancement was stricken for this charge as well.

A third charge of trying to manipulate a witness was dropped entirely “in the interest of justice,” the record states.

The fourth charge, assault with a deadly weapon, still stands, and a jury trial date was set for Aug. 8 for Basler and his co-defendants, James Wing Fung and Marvin Justin Black.

The trio allegedly attacked the victims in an alley behind  on Jefferson Avenue.

To read about the incident,  

Armstrong was the son of the head pastor of Cornerstone Community Church in Wildomar. Ross is the son of Hugh Ross, a famed creationist author.