WOODLAND — The suspect in a Woodland stabbing death pleaded not guilty Wednesday to one count of murder with an enhancement for his alleged use of a knife.
Jeffrey Lemus, 55, said he could not afford to hire his own attorney, so Yolo Superior Court Judge Kent O’Mara appointed the Public Defender’s Office to represent him. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Dec. 23, and Lemus remains on a no-bail hold in the meantime.
Lemus is accused of fatally stabbing 53-year-old Kelly Mason Choate on Saturday during an altercation at Kenny’s Bar & Grill on East Street. Yolo County coroner’s officials said Choate died from a wound to his left chest area.
Both men are longtime Woodland residents.
In a jailhouse interview with The Davis Enterprise earlier this week, Lemus claimed Choate repeatedly had threatened to kill him over the past year and a half, and he stabbed Choate in self-defense after the victim rushed at him inside the bar.
“I’ve just walked away, walked away, and this time it came to a head,” Lemus said. “I have nothing against the guy, but he just hated me.”
Wednesday’s arraignment hearing was attended by numerous friends and relatives of both Lemus and Choate. One of them, Julian Rodriguez, was a next-door neighbor of Choate’s who said he “adopted” the victim in 2004.
“He was like a son,” said Rodriguez, whose family opened their home to Choate for the past 11 years. In exchange, Choate would tend to Rodriguez’s yard, mowing the grass and raking leaves, and often could be found barbecuing in the back yard.
“He was just such a good fellow to have around. He was one of a kind,” Rodriguez said. “He had his faults, but who doesn’t? We lost a good person.”
Lemus’ family declined to comment following the hearing, as did his newly appointed attorney, Deputy Public Defender Ron Johnson.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene