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Man, 30, Convicted In Deadly Lake Forest Stabbings

LAKE FOREST (CBSLA.com) — A Lake Forest man was convicted Thursday in the 2011 stabbing deaths of two men outside a popular local restaurant.

Thirty-year-old Justin Alvin Masao Tombleson faces up to 34 years in prison after he was convicted by a jury on two counts of voluntary manslaughter following a violent altercation outside Albatros Mexican Food on Rockfield Boulevard on June 11, 2011.

Authorities were called to the scene at approximately 2 a.m., where they found 26-year-old Elvis Kechechian and 32-year-old Hossain Saidian in critical condition.

Kechechian died from his stab wounds about an hour later. Saidian underwent surgery, but doctors determined he was brain dead. He was pronounced dead nearly a week later, according to Deputy District Attorney Steve McGreevy.

Tombleson was initially charged with two counts of murder but was convicted of the lesser charges after attorneys on both sides failed to agree if he acted in self defense.

Jurors Thursday also found true sentencing enhancements for use of a deadly weapon.

McGreevy told City News Service Tombleson would normally face 15 years in prison. However, he has a prior conviction for battery resulting in serious injury. If that conviction stands at a hearing scheduled for June 7 it will more than double the time he faces behind bars.

Tombleson's sentencing is scheduled for July 12.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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