Long Beach man pleads not guilty to murder in stabbing near Traffic Circle

A 33-year-old Long Beach man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to fatally stabbing a man in the Traffic Circle area late last year.

Justin Michael St. George faces one count of murder, according to the Los Angeles County District Attoey’s Office. The felony complaint includes a special allegation that St. George personally use a knife while allegedly carrying out the crime.

The charging document also alleges he was previously convicted of grand theft in 2006 and of receiving stolen property in 2013, the District Attoey’s Office said.

Long Beach police were dispatched around 10:40 a.m. Dec. 6 to a parking lot in the 1700 block of Ximeno Avenue, where officers found a the body of a man inside a motor home.

The victim, 62-year-old Gary Rice, was stabbed in the upper body, police said.

St. George was arrested on suspicion of murder Feb. 10 in Cypress, police said. Homicide detectives presented their case to the Los Angeles District Attoey’s Office, and he was formally charged with one count of murder Feb. 16.

He is scheduled to retu to Long Beach Superior Court for a pre-hearing conference April 14. If convicted as charged, St. George faces a maximum possible sentence of 28 years to life in state prison.

Anyone with information regarding the murder is urged to call Homicide Detectives Todd Johnson, Mark Bigel Guarino, and Shea Robertson at 562-570-7244. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or text TIPLA plus your tip to 274637 (CRIMES), or visit www.LACrimeStoppers.org.

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