The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office has announced that 20-year-old Ernesto Alexis Morasamayoa will stand trial following a preliminary hearing where he was held to answer on charges inclusive of murder and attempted murder. According to a social media post from the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, Morasamayoa allegedly stabbed a man to death this past February during a dispute and later stabbed a second man who attempted to intervene. His arraignment is scheduled for September 25.
Ernesto Alexis Morasamayoa (20) held to answer following a preliminary hearing on multiple charges, including murder & att. murder, alleged to have stabbed a man to death in Feb '24 over a disagreement & then stabbed a second male who tried to intervene. Arraignment is Sept. 25. pic.twitter.com/8Tt8PvK2ap
— San Mateo County District Attorney (@SanMateoCoDA) September 9, 2025
Adding to the gravity of the situation, the East Palo Alto Police, supported by community participation, apprehended Morasamayoa, who was already in San Mateo County Jail on a different charge. This arrest also relates to the stabbing death of Frank Finney, who succumbed to his injuries on March 2 after a vicious attack on February 8. In their intensive search for justice, Mothers Against Murder offered up a reward amounting to $10,000, leading to vital witness information that facilitated the breakthrough, as per reports from Hoodline.
The night Finney was critically wounded, authorities were called to the corner of University Avenue and Bell Street, where they found him and another stabbed man. Descriptions of the assailant were circulated promptly after the incident: a Hispanic male sporting a mustache, decked out in a dark hooded sweatshirt, last seen fleeing the scene.
Nevertheless, East Palo Alto Police doggedly pursued the assailant, appealing to the community for assistance and requesting any potential witnesses or surveillance footage from the night of the heinous crime. The East Palo Alto Police have vocalized their gratitude to those tipsters who came forward, enabling the diligent forensic work by the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office and San Mateo County Forensics Laboratory to weave together the evidence that led to the arrest of Samayoa. They continue to urge anyone with additional information relevant to Frank Finney's murder to come forward, with various anonymous methods offered for providing such information, according to the Hoodline report.
