A person who killed one other man by pushing him into the aspect of a transferring prepare on the Previous City Transit Heart pleaded responsible Friday to second-degree homicide.
Beneath the phrases of a plea settlement, Ryan Michael Rukstelis, 27, might be sentenced to fifteen years to life in state jail for the New Yr’s Day 2022 killing of 68-year-old Martin Andara.
In accordance with testimony from Rukstelis’ preliminary listening to held final yr, each males have been passengers aboard a trolley that stopped on the Previous City station and have been in the identical trolley automobile for about half-hour, however didn’t work together with each other through the journey.
Surveillance footage performed in courtroom confirmed that after the trolley stopped on the station, each males departed.
A person, who police say was Rukstelis, is seen strolling forward of Andara, then he abruptly turns and punches the sufferer, then pushes him into the aspect of a transferring prepare.
Andara’s physique was found by a safety guard.
By analyzing surveillance footage at numerous prepare stations all through the county, police have been capable of decide that Rukstelis was at a trolley station in Mission Valley simply after 2:30 a.m. Jan. 1. There, police say surveillance footage captured him trying to take away the already-broken entrance panel of a soda machine.
San Diego police Detective Steven Choy stated fingerprints have been lifted from the within of the soda machine panel. Seven of the 24 impressions discovered there matched Rukstelis, the detective testified.
Choy stated pictures of Rukstelis from a legislation enforcement database have been then in comparison with the surveillance footage of the suspect.
Investigators arrested Rukstelis at his mom’s office three days after Andara’s loss of life.
Rukstelis had a backpack with him on the time of his arrest and contained in the backpack have been a pair of pants and a shirt that Choy stated appeared similar to the suspect’s clothes. Rukstelis’ DNA was additionally found on the sufferer’s jacket, in accordance with the detective.
Metropolis Information Service contributed to this text.
