A murder suspect charged with fatally stabbing a man outside a Pacific Beach restaurant has managed to post $1 million bond and remains free after getting a new attorney on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Michael David Sullivan, 26, pleaded not guilty to killing Jonathan Thomas Lefler-Panela, 25, after the two men fought outside Sam’s by the Sea, 4315 Ocean Blvd., on Jan. 8. The slaying was the first homicide for 2006 in San Diego.
Court records show Sullivan posted his $1 million bond on Jan. 24. The terms of the bond are confidential and may involve property used as collateral. The bail bond company’s premium is $100,000, which is 10 percent of the total.
Attorney Kerry Steigerwalt, one of the most sought-after criminal defense attorneys in San Diego, was retained to represent Sullivan. Sullivan’s first attorney, Ron Rockwell, was relieved on Feb. 21 by San Diego Superior Court Judge Frank Brown.
A district attorney investigator had concerns that Sullivan may be a flight risk, and Brown ordered him to give up his passport. Sullivan made all his court appearances, and the judge set an April 20 preliminary hearing to see if there is enough evidence for a trial. A full day of testimony is estimated by the district attorney’s office.
Sullivan surrendered his passport on Jan. 25 after posting the bond, and the judge allowed him to relocate to the Bay area to live with his mother, according to court records. Sullivan was ordered to have no contact with the victim, the families, and to stay away from the Sam’s by the Sea restaurant.
Both Sullivan and Lefler-Panela knew each other casually. They argued inside the restaurant around 2 a.m. and a bar bouncer and others broke up the fight. Both men were escorted out of the building, but the fight resumed outside.
Sullivan fled the scene, but surrendered to police with Rockwell the following evening. Police took Sullivan to a hospital after he showed up with a black eye, a bloody nose and cuts on his hands. He was later booked into county jail.
Rockwell said Sullivan fought in self-defense and the injuries support that.
Sullivan is also charged with assault with a deadly weapon on two other people in the same incident. He has denied all the charges.
Lefler-Panela lived in Mission Beach and worked in real estate after serving in the navy for three years. His family and friends held a vigil on the beach in his memory on Jan. 9.