Man Convicted of Second Degree Murder in Covelo Killing
Facebook post from the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office:
A Mendocino County jury returned within the first hour of the new work week to announce it had found the trial defendant guilty almost as charged.
Defendant Dino Blackbear Lincoln, also known as Dino Michael Blackbear, age 36 of Covelo, was found guilty of murder in the second degree and felony reckless evading a peace officer.
The jury also found true a special allegation alleged that the defendant personally and intentionally discharged a firearm, said discharge causing the death of another person.
The jury returned a guilty verdict of misdemeanor simple assault, a lesser included crime to the charged crime of felony assault with a motor vehicle.
The jury began its deliberations late afternoon Friday and returned to complete their review of the evidence and applicable law first thing Monday morning.
After the jury was excused, a bifurcated court trial was held wherein it was proven beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant Lincoln has suffered two prior Strike convictions.
The two prior Strikes found true by the Court were for:
(1) felony criminal threats, said conviction having been entered in the Mendocino County Superior Court on January 3, 2019 (a felony characterized as serious by Penal Code section 1192.(c)); and
(2) felony assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury to another person, said conviction having been entered in the Mendocino County Superior Court on July 24 2008 (a felony characterized as violent by Penal Code section 667.5(c)).The defendant’s case has now been referred to the Mendocino County Adult Probation Department for a background and social study leading to a written sentencing recommendation.
The probation department’s sentencing report and recommendation is relied on by the intake staff at the CDCR reception center for determining an incoming inmate’s threat and classification level for purposes of making a permanent cell assignment in the available state prison facilities.
The defendant’s formal sentencing date has been calendared for July 27, 2023 in Department A at 9 o’clock in the morning in the Ukiah courthouse.
The law enforcement agencies that developed the evidence in support of Monday’s verdicts are the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Justice forensic laboratory, and the District Attorney’s own Bureau of Investigations.
A special note of appreciation is extended to Gregg Stutchman, a forensic audio/video and photography expert from Napa, for his work on the case.
The attorney who presented the People’s evidence to the jury and argued for the verdicts that were returned was Assistant District Attorney Dale P. Trigg.
Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Keith Faulder presided over the nine-day trial that spread over parts of three weeks. Judge Faulder will also be the sentencing judge in July.
Earlier:
- Law Enforcement and Medical Personnel Responding to Reports of a Man Shot in the Neck at Covelo’s Buckhorn Bar
- Late Night Shooting at a Covelo Bar Leaves One Dead and Authorities Searching for Two ‘Armed and Dangerous’ Suspects
- Some Fort Bragg Residents Sheltering-in-Place as Deputies Search for Covelo Homicide Suspect After Vehicle Pursuit Gave Way to Foot Chase
- Covelo Homicide Suspects Remain At Large After Spotted Last Night in Fort Bragg; Woman Arrested for Helping Him
- Law Enforcement Converging on Fort Bragg’s Hansen Road After Covelo Homicide Suspect Spotted
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Got caught. Rough shit. Covelo is not producing the finest of global citizens. So many YOUNG men and women out of Covelo have not been showing much in ethics n morality CRIPE! Love his smug look. Thinks hes gunna get away with it. I believe he has littles. Running around acting a fool like this. No one wins honestly. RIP to his victim too. Jine got nothing but time now to reflect on his stellar behavior.
Second degree murder?
The defendant “intentionally and personally discharged a firearm” striking the victim in the neck and killing him. But it’s not first degree because he didn’t premeditate the action and really didn’t have malice aforethought? I would argue pulling the gun out showed premeditation and pulling the trigger showed malice.
Hopefully the two prior strikes will keep this individual off the streets for many years, if not a lifetime.
He got his 2nd strike in 2019, obviously served minimal time if any, and in 2021 he killed someone. Due to the “background and social study” funded by tax payers, he will likely be classified as a victim and released within a year or two, in the name of equity.
Yeah- that’s why he’s smirking in his booking photo. He knows the justice system is failed and he might do half-time of a small sentence with yet more time off for taking some programs and not killing somebody inside… He will be back n a decade to kill some more…
It’s a violent crime. His credits are for 85% of whatever sentence he gets. He most likely will be incarcerated for decades.
It seems like “premeditated” is generally taken to mean that there was a plan to kill the victim prior to their engagement.
Wasn’t this case some kind of conflict at a bar where this guy pulled out a gun and shot someone? Seems like 2nd degree murder is the right term. Regardless he should be looking at decades behind bars, but we’ll see how that plays out
Let him go so he can continue to uplift his community.
hopefully he’s out soon so he can keep cleaning up all the rotten eggs! :):):)
maybe i’ll start helping him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! gotta love our justice system!!!!