Man arrested after father dies of stab wound 


 

Courtesy of Michael Scott

A 23-year-old Ventura man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after police say he stabbed his father during a March 9 argument in Moorpark. 

The victim, 73-year-old Michael Fernandes, died at the hospital. The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the cause of death as blunt and sharp force injuries and the manner of death as homicide. 

Accused of the killing: Jason Fernandes. 

At 5:45 p.m. March 9, sheriff’s dispatch received a 911 call about a family disturbance in the 4700 block of Park Lane, police said.  

When deputies arrived at the scene, they discovered an adult male who had been stabbed in the stomach, police said. He was rushed to Los Robles Regional Medical Center and died a short while later, according to authorities. 

Deputies found Fernandes in a nearby ravine, police said. He was promptly arrested and is being held in lieu of $1-million bail. Fernandes pleaded guilty March 11, and his next court date is scheduled for March 22, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

The Ventura County sheriff’s major crimes team is investigating the incident. 

Fernandes has been convicted of crimes before. 

In 2019, he pleaded guilty to abusing an elder or a dependent adult. Court records also show that in 2019 a woman requested a domestic violence restraining order against Fernandes. 

Violent crimes are rare for Moorpark, which has consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in Ventura County and in the state over the past decade. 

Two homicides occurred in Moorpark in 2020 and none in 2019 and 2018, according to VCSO’s 2021 serious crimes report. 

—Makena Huey

This article was updated March. 14 at 11:30 a.m. to include information from the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.