Man pleads guilty to manslaughter for his role in San Juan Capistrano stabbing death

One of six co-defendants charged with the stabbing death of a man whose body was found in a San Juan Capistrano creek bed pleaded guilty Friday to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.

In return for being allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter rather than facing the special-circumstance murder charge he was previously facing, Myles Emmanuel Jones, 25, agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

In 2016, Jones was charged in connection with the slaying of Alvaro Rios in an abandoned area next to the Arroyo Trabuco Golf Course along with: Anjelica Shibata, Brion Hyde, Ashkan Dezhangfard, Siavash Hosseinaliarhani and Ryan Heubner.

Prosecutors previously said that Rios, who was married, had a romantic relationship with Shibata, who was living with Hyde in San Juan Capistrano. The prosecutors allege that Shibata lured Rios to the creek bed, where he was stabbed more than 20 times. A jogger discovered his body the next morning.

As part of his plea deal, Jones acknowledged that he “aided and abetted” in the killing of Rios. Jones’ attorney, Doug Meyer, said it isn’t yet clear if Jones will end up testifying against is co-defendants.

“He is not the actual killer,” Meyer said.

Meyer said Rios’ wife had found out about the affair between Rios and Shibata, and had posted negative comments about her on social media. Shibata told Hyde and the other co-defendants that Rios had sexually assaulted her, though it is not clear if that allegation is actually true, the defense attorney said.

Meyer said two of the men brought knives to the ambush of Rios, though it’s unclear which man dealt the fatal blow. Jones was not one of the men with a knife, his attorney said.

Under the plea deal, Jones faces up to 11 years in prison. The other five defendants are awaiting trial.