A 57-year-old Yorba Linda man was convicted of murder on Tuesday, June 4 for stabbing another man to death during a fight outside an Anaheim sober living home after being falsely told that the victim had drugged and raped a woman.
An Orange County Superior Court jury late Tuesday found Effrum Maland Burnett guilty of second-degree murder for the July 18, 2023 killing of 50-year-old Toye Mims Jones.
A female friend of Burnett’s lied to Burnett and falsely claimed that Jones had drugged her, raped her and taken “her” pickup truck, according to both the prosecution and the defense. Unbeknownst to Burnett, the woman actually just wanted to take the pickup and sell it without the actual owner’s knowledge or permission.
Burnett had never met Jones. But he and another man agreed to join Jones’ false accuser in traveling to the sober living home in the 9500 block of Canton Avenue in order to get the pickup.
They were able to obtain keys to the pickup, according to court filings, but due to apparent damage to the starter were unable to start the vehicle.
An upset Jones angrily confronted them, according to both the prosecution and defense, demanding to know why the woman was telling people he had abducted and sexually assaulted her. He shouted something to the effect of “Why are you lying, telling people I raped you?,” according to the defense.
The defense contended that Jones struck the woman with a closed fist, while the prosecution described him either striking her or preparing to strike her. Burnett intervened and struck Jones, both sides agreed, and Jones retreated into the sober living home.
According to the defense, Jones changed his clothes, told someone inside the sober living home something to the effect of “I’m going to show him how to be a man” in an apparent reference to Burnett, and then went back outside.
Jones walked a short distance down the street. Burnett followed, with surveillance cameras showing him with his hand in a pocket.
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During a brief second fight, Burnett stabbed Jones five times, in his face, chest, abdomen, groin and a fatal wound to the heart. A wounded and bleeding Jones went back into the sober living home, while Burnett left the scene.
Jones died a short time later from blood loss. Burnett was arrested later that night.
During closing arguments Thursday and Monday in a Santa Ana courtroom, Deputy District Attorney David Porter told jurors that Burnett went into the second fight with the intent to stab Jones. The fight only lasted a matter of seconds and there were no defensive wounds on Jones’ hands, which the prosecutor argued meant he never had a chance to react.
“He wanted revenge,” Porter said, noting that Burnett believed the false allegations that Jones had raped his friend. “You just don’t stab someone five times in 15 seconds and have any other intent but to kill.”
Burnett’s attorney, Lee Stonum, argued to jurors that while Jones was “justifiably angry” at being falsely accused, he was also the aggressor outside the sober living home and was “not entitled to a fair fight.” Burnett acted in self-defense, his attorney told jurors, believing he was facing someone capable of kidnap and rape.
“It was a senseless death over a truck and a set of lies,” Stonum said.
Burnett is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on July 19.
