Trial of defendant in execution-style killing to start over

BARSTOW • One of two men accused of killing a San Bernardino hip-hop artist and dumping his body near Barstow was slated to go to trial this week, but instead, the case will start anew.

The prosecution asked for more time to gather evidence in the trial of Dudzai Prosper Pswatai, 21, of Riverside. Pswatai is charged with murder, kidnapping, robbery and solicitation to commit murder in connection with the execution-style shooting of Robert Mastrangelo, 24, of San Bernardino.

A jogger found Mastrangelo’s body in a drainage ditch near Barstow June 14 with bound feet and multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body. Pswatai was arrested in July. A second suspect, Jeffrey Berrouet, 23, remains outstanding.

It is rare, although not unheard of, for a murder case to go to trial within six months of the crime, but Pswatai wanted to go forward as quickly as possible, Deputy District Attorney Shannon Faherty said.

She acknowledged that operating on such a short timeline presents unique challenges for the prosecution and requires tighter coordination between the District Attorney’s Office and police investigators.

“We just have to do everything on a mini-time frame, basically,” she said.

Pswatai’s public defender, Troy Padgett, could not be reached Monday afternoon.

Because of the shortened timeline, Faherty said the prosecution and investigators are still waiting for DNA analysis results from the court crime lab and are exploring new evidence.

The prosecution asked Judge John B. Gibson on Nov. 25 to dismiss the case and refile identical charges on the same day, effectively setting the clock back to the beginning. Gibson agreed over an objection by Padgett. Pswatai was arraigned for a second time that afternoon and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Investigators described the murder as stemming from a drug deal and robbery attempt gone wrong. Before killing Mastrangelo, Pswatai and Berrouet allegedly kidnapped him and held him in Berrouet’s garage, according to testimony by Barstow Police Department Detective Keith Libby at the original preliminary hearing in August.

The jurors who had been selected to hear the trial were dismissed. Pswatai’s bail remains at $3 million, where Gibson had previously set it, Faherty said. His preliminary hearing in the new case was set for Thursday.

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Timeline

• June 14: A jogger finds Robert Mastrangelo’s body in a drainage ditch near Outlet Center Drive.
• July 3: Dudzai Prosper Pswatai, 21, of Riverside is arrested on suspicion of Mastrangelo’s murder. Police are still seeking a second suspect, Jeffrey Berrouet, 23.
• August 28: Judge John B. Gibson finds enough evidence to send the case to trial after a preliminary hearing.
• Nov. 25: The court dismisses the case against Pswatai and Berrouet and immediately refiles charges, to give the prosecution more time to prepare.