Baltimore man pleads guilty to 2016 Santa Rosa stabbings, including one that killed homeless man

A Baltimore man admitted guilt Tuesday to two 2016 brutal stabbing attacks in downtown Santa Rosa, including one incident in which he killed a homeless man sleeping outside.

Delonte Anthony Hart, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the death of Cirak Tesfazgi, 32, of Santa Rosa, who he stabbed more than 50 times on June 26, 2016, in front of a Riley Street doorway where he often slept.

Hart also pleaded guilty in front of Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Bradford Demeo to the attempted murder of Adam Lucero, who was repeatedly stabbed three days after the Tesfazgi slaying as he watched a movie at the Roxy Theater downtown.

Lucero was left with wounds to his neck, arm and ear, along with a punctured lung from the attack. He required a lengthy surgery.

“These crimes caused great concern about safety in the downtown area of Santa Rosa,” District Attorney Jill Ravitch said in a statement. “Thanks to the outstanding investigative work of the Santa Rosa Police Department, we were able to resolve this case at an early stage in the proceedings, without traumatizing the survivors further through coming to court to testify.”

Hart, who police believed had been homeless in Santa Rosa for about four months prior to the vicious attacks, will be sentenced on Dec. 13 in front of Judge Demeo. The district attorney’s office said it expects Hart will receive a prison term of 15 years to life for Tesfazgi’s murder and an additional consecutive term of 12 years for the attempted murder of Lucero.

During the Tesfazgi murder investigation, detectives recovered an 8-inch Henkel knife used in the attack and determined it was stolen from a downtown store shortly before the deadly attack. Hart’s fingerprints were on the knife and Tesfazgi’s DNA was later located on Hart’s shoe, prosecutors said.

A Santa Rosa High School graduate, Tesfazgi had been periodically sleeping outside for several years, even though he had a key to his mother’s Santa Rosa apartment.

After the Lucero attack, Hart was quickly apprehended by officers after fleeing the movie theater. While investigating that attack, police recovered a second 8-inch Henkel knife Hart discarded in a garbage can.

Shortly before the time he was stabbed, Lucero, then 21, had moved to Santa Rosa from Camarillo to start a new job.

Hart was charged in July 2016 with both crimes. His prosecution was delayed pending a decision on whether he was mentally competent to stand trial. His public defender had said Hart had refused to speak with him for months and maintained his innocence, insisting he was at a Taco Bell at the time of ?the attacks.

Three months ago, county Judge H. N. Papadakis ruled Hart should stand trial after listening to conflicting opinions from two doctors who evaluated him.

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 707-521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.