How to resolve AdBlock issue? James Laurence Mongi, 47, was arrested in February for the fatal stabbing of 55-year-old Richard Garner Jr. of Clearlake, as Lake County News has reported.
On Friday, during trial assignment proceedings, Mongi pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Ed Borg.
“We hadn’t really discussed settling the case up until two weeks ago,” said Borg.
He said that’s when defense attorney Tracy Gatlin brought forward a proposal for the lesser plea.
“I’m grateful for the plea agreement. I think it adequately reflects the status of the evidence in the case,” Gatlin told Lake County News.
Borg said the investigation revealed that Garner had stolen some heroin from a third party, a person known to the DA’s Office but who Borg did not name because he wasn’t charged in the case. The man from whom the heroin had been stolen was looking for Garner.
Early on the morning of Feb. 4, Mongi showed up at a residence in the 14000 block of Walnut Avenue in Clearlake where Garner was. “We believe there was a confrontation and Mr. Mongi was involved and it resulted in Mr. Garner’s death,” Borg said.
While there were other people in the home, Borg said there were only two people in the room – Mongi and Garner – when the confrontation took place, so it was hard to say exactly what happened.
“It was primarily a circumstantial case,” he said.
Mongi was seen leaving the home, and a short time later authorities located Garner in a back bedroom in the house, bleeding from a stab wound to the neck. The stabbing nicked an artery, which caused Garner to bleed to death. Borg said Garner was declared dead at Adventist Health Clear Lake Hospital.
Gatlin said Mongi has remained in jail since his February arrest.
She said Mongi claims to have witnessed the events that led to Garner’s death. “It was a bad situation for everyone.”
While he’s maintained his innocence, she said Mongi “made the mature decision to take responsibility for having been there.”
Mongi also decided to take a determinate sentence rather than risk going to trial and possibly receiving a life sentence, Gatlin explained. “It could have gone either way.”
Gatlin said Mongi will be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 18.
Borg said Mongi is looking at seven years in prison, and must serve 85 percent of the sentence. The term will be served in state prison rather than the county jail because it is a violent felony and a strike.
Prior to this case, Mongi had some theft-related and felony convictions – including unlawful possession of a weapon – more than a decade ago, Borg said,
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