OAKLAND — A wanted transient with seven felony convictions has been charged with murder in last month’s fatal stabbing of a man at a homeless encampment, according to authorities and court documents.
Mario Castineda, 37, is charged in the death of John M. Bell, 52, who was found dead May 31 at the camp in the area of Fifth and Webster streets underneath Interstate 880. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to enter a plea June 21.
According to authorities and court documents, the two men knew each other and got into a dispute over Bell’s bicycle at the camp May 26; the fight ended with Bell being stabbed. Castineda rode off on the bicycle but abandoned it nearby, authorities said.
Bell was taken to Highland Hospital, where he was treated and released the next day, authorities said.
He returned to the camp and was found dead inside his tent in the early morning hours of May 31. After an autopsy, the coroner’s office ruled the death was a homicide.
Castineda had already been identified by witnesses as the suspect in the stabbing; he was arrested June 2.
According to court documents, at the time of the stabbing he was wanted for failing to appear in court in two pending Alameda County criminal cases.
One case stemmed from a Jan. 1 arrest by the California Highway Patrol on Interstate 580 in Livermore. He was stopped for speeding and later was charged with misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of drugs, being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of an injection/ingestion device and being an unlicensed driver. It was not clear if he made bail or was released on his own recognizance in the case.
The other warrant for his arrest resulted from a September case where he was charged with vehicle theft, possession of stolen property and burglary tools, and being an unlicensed driver. He had been released on his own recognizance in that case.
According to court documents, his seven prior felony convictions are from December 2000 to January 2016. They include assault; possession of a controlled substance; receiving stolen property — a motor vehicle; unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle; and three for possession of a firearm by a felon. He received prison terms for all the convictions, according to the documents.