Man pleads guilty to manslaughter for homeless man's slaying in San Diego

A young man pleaded guilty Monday to a voluntary manslaughter count for his role in the killing of a homeless man at Bonita Cove Park last year.

Daniel Ruben Martin, 20, was arrested along with a 17-year-old boy in connection with the death of Michael Shook, 65, who was stabbed three times and beaten in the early morning hours of July 5, 2023.

Martin, who was 18 years old at the time of the killing, was charged as an adult while the other defendant entered juvenile proceedings and also pleaded guilty, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Following Monday's plea to the manslaughter count, plus an enhancement for personal use of a deadly weapon, Martin is slated to be sentenced to seven years in state prison on Jan. 2, the DA's office said.

At a preliminary hearing held earlier this year, San Diego police Det. Chris Bernard testified that Martin admitted to elbowing Shook in the face several times and kicking him in the ribs.

"I didn't kill him, but by the time I was finished with him, he was done," Martin said, according to the detective.

Investigators also asked Martin about the victim's pants, which were balled up and found near Shook's body. One of Shook's shoes was entangled inside the pants, which Deputy District Attorney Shane Waller said was consistent with the pants being forcibly removed.

When asked why the victim's pants were removed,  the detective said Martin laughed, then said "We thought it would be cool."

The two teens' accounts to detectives differed in some aspects.

Martin said his friend and Shook initially got into a verbal argument that escalated into violence, the detective said.

The juvenile said Martin and Shook argued first and, at some point, Shook pulled out a knife. The boy said he grabbed Shook's knife hand and forced the victim's own blade into his body, while Martin held down Shook's arm, Bernard testified.

Defense attorney Amy Balfe argued at the hearing that her client was being held responsible for acts committed by his friend and, further, there may have been some provocation from Shook. Balfe noted the knife used in the killing belonged to the victim.

She also said that, according to one witness, Shook was beaten and repeatedly kicked by a group of six people earlier in the night. Balfe argued that many of the victim's injuries, including more than a dozen rib fractures, were likely sustained in that altercation.

The juvenile admitted to murder and received 4 years in a secured track, which is a Juvenile Hall program for serious offenders, according to the District Attorney's Office.