Nearly six years after a fatal stabbing in the parking lot of a Pasadena CVS, the man accused in the killing, Enrique Real, was back in a Pasadena courtroom on Wednesday for yet another pretrial hearing. Christopher Flores, 30, was stabbed on Sept. 11, 2020, in the CVS parking lot at Orange Grove Boulevard and Fair Oaks and later died at Huntington Hospital. The case has crept through the courts ever since, and Real remains jailed on more than $2 million bail while prosecutors and defense attorneys keep preparing for the next round.
Real appeared in Department F for a hearing set for 8:30 a.m., according to Pasadena Now. The Los Angeles County District Attorney filed one count of murder against him on Sept. 16, 2020, and court records show he has been held in continuous custody on $2.02 million bail. The Pasadena Courthouse is at 300 East Walnut Street, and police ask anyone with information to call the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4241 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
The Attack and Arrest
The Los Angeles Times' Homicide Report states that Flores was attacked at about 8:14 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2020, in the CVS parking lot at 20 East Orange Grove Boulevard, where witnesses found him bleeding before paramedics rushed him to Huntington Hospital. Witnesses directed officers to an alley where they said Real had been seen running; officers recovered a bloodied knife and other evidence, and contemporaneous coverage by KFI (City News Service) described the arrest and the Pasadena Police Department's initial statements.
Why the Case Hasn't Gone to Trial
Prosecutors charged Real in mid-September 2020, but nearly six calendar years later the file is still without a trial date, stretching across preliminary hearings and a long string of pretrial conferences, Pasadena Now reports. Police say the victim and suspect knew each other; Lt. Jesse Carrillo has said investigators “revealed the victim and suspect knew each other” but that the motive “requires further follow up by detectives.”
What’s Next
Real remains presumed innocent while the Los Angeles County District Attorney prosecutes the case, and upcoming hearings in Department F will determine whether the matter finally moves toward a jury trial or some other resolution. Local coverage from the night of the arrest through the latest hearing has been carried by outlets including HeySoCal, which traces the arrest, charge and court timeline. Anyone with information is urged to contact Pasadena Police or Crime Stoppers.
