Pretrial Motions Begin for Felon Accused of Killing Girlfriend, Wounding Dad

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Pretrial motions began Thursday ahead of jury selection for the trial of a 25-year-old convicted felon accused of fatally shooting the mother of his infant son and wounding his father during a fit of rage at his family’s Riverside home. Andrew Matthew Stewart is charged with murder, attempted murder, domestic violence, child cruelty, being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations. Stewart allegedly gunned down 23-year-old Kim Grajeda, as well as put a bullet in his father, whose name was not disclosed, during a 2019 attack at the latter’s property in the 16000 block of Jordana Circle, a mile north of Lake Mathews. The case was assigned Thursday to the courtroom of Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Johnson at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Johnson ruled on motions concerning proposed witnesses and evidence before adjourning for the day. Additional motions will be considered Monday morning, after which jury selection is slated to start. Stewart is being held on $2 million bail at the nearby Robert Presley Jail. According to sheriff’s investigators, the defendant got into an argument with Grajeda for reasons unclear on the afternoon of June 1, 2019. The woman was living with the probationer and his parents after giving birth to the defendant’s son, Max, a month earlier, and she had reportedly threatened to leave him several times due to alleged physical abuse. During the confrontation, Stewart allegedly flew into a rage and shot Grajeda several times in the upper body with a handgun, as well as fired a round at his father. The infant was nearby at the time but was not hit by the gunfire, investigators said. Grajeda died at the scene. The defendant’s father was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he underwent surgery, ultimately recovering. According to court records, Stewart has prior convictions for assault with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon and assault resulting in great bodily injury. Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.