Yorba Linda MAN Convicted of KILLING MAN He Falsely Believed RAPED a FRIEND
On Tuesday, June 4, a 57-year-old Yorba Linda man was found guilty of murder for stabbing another man to death during a dispute outside an Anaheim sober living home after being erroneously informed that the victim had drugged and raped a woman.
Late Tuesday, an Orange County Superior Court jury found Effrum Maland Burnett guilty of second-degree murder in the July 18, 2023 death of Toye Mims Jones, age 50.
According to both the prosecution and the defense, Burnett’s female acquaintance lied to her, falsely claiming that Jones had drugged her, raped her, and stolen “her” pickup truck. Unbeknownst to Burnett, the woman simply wanted to take the pickup and sell it without the owner’s knowledge or approval.
Burnett had never met Jones. However, he and another guy agreed to accompany Jones’ bogus accuser to the sober living facility in the 9500 block of Canton Avenue in order to receive the pickup. According to court documents, they were able to gain keys to the pickup but were unable to start it owing to apparent starter damage.
According to both the prosecution and the defense, Jones became enraged and confronted them, wanting to know why the woman was telling others he had abducted and sexually assaulted her.
According to the defense, he yelled something like, “Why are you lying, telling people I raped you?” The defense claimed Jones struck the woman with a closed fist, although the prosecution said he either struck her or was about to punch her. Burnett intervened and struck Jones; both parties agreed, and Jones retreated to the sober living home.
According to the defense, Jones changed his clothes, told someone inside the sober living home something along the lines of “I’m going to show him how to be a man” in an apparent reference to Burnett, and then returned outside.
Jones went a short distance down the street. Burnett followed, and surveillance cameras captured him with his hand in a pocket. During a brief second struggle, Burnett stabbed Jones five times in the face, chest, belly, groin, and heart, killing him. Jones, who was wounded and bleeding, returned to the sober living home, while Burnett departed the scene.
Jones died shortly after from blood loss. Burnett was detained later that night.
During closing arguments Thursday and Monday in a Santa Ana courtroom, Deputy District Attorney David Porter told jurors that Burnett entered the second fight intending to knife Jones. The struggle lasted only a few seconds, and Jones’ hands had no defensive wounds, according to the prosecution, indicating that he never had a chance to react.
“He wanted revenge,” Porter said, saying that Burnett accepted bogus accusations that Jones had raped his companion. “You just don’t stab someone five times in 15 seconds and have any other intent but to kill.”
Burnett’s attorney, Lee Stonum, told jurors that while Jones was “justifiably angry” about being wrongfully accused, he was also the aggressor outside the sober living home and was “not entitled to a fair fight.” Burnett acted in self-defense, according to his counsel, because he believed he was being threatened with kidnapping and rape.
“It was a senseless death over a truck and a set of lies,” Stonum stated.
Burnett is set to appear in court for sentencing on July 19.