Man pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Garden Grove stabbing case dating to 1985

SANTA ANA — A 64-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday to voluntary manslaughter in a drug-related killing of a young man in the mid-1980s in Garden Grove.

Under the plea agreement, Jesus Menchaca is expected to be sentenced to 11 years in prison on Jan. 6, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons.

Eight witnesses have died over the years, making it more difficult to prosecute the case, Simmons said.

The 20-year-old victim, Scott Raymond Hall, was stabbed to death on Dec. 19, 1985, in the 12600 block of Sunswept Avenue during a drug deal gone bad, according to Garden Grove police.

Menchaca was initially charged with killing Hall in 1992, but the case was dropped for lack of evidence. The investigation was revived in 2015 and new technology helped prosecutors build a case that year based on DNA evidence.

Sentencing was put off until January so Hall’s family members can make victim impact statements.