A Torrance Superior Court recently ruled two men charged with the stabbing of a Hermosa Beach man inside his home in April will stand trial for the crime.

Judge Francis Hourigan ruled the district attorneys presented a sufficient amount of evidence against Ryker Copeland, 33, and Thomas Banas, 20, to proceed with a criminal trial. Both men are charged with attempted murder and could face a life sentence. They both pleaded not guilty to the crime and are being detained at separate Los Angeles County jails with bail set at $1 million each.

Hourigan also dropped the charge of burglary against Copeland for the theft of a samurai sword allegedly used in the stabbing of the unidentified man. The burglary charge against Banas will remain.

District attorneys will argue the two men dressed in black clothing allegedly forced their way into the man’s home in the 1500 block of Hermosa Avenue April 17; stabbed him numerous times in the neck, arm, chest and face; and then fled the scene. They will argue robbery was the motive behind the attack.

Hermosa Beach Police arrested Copeland of Manhattan Beach in early July. Officers sought Copeland for questioning soon after the attempted burglary that led to the stabbing of the man. Copeland was not a suspect at the time, but police believed he had some information valuable to the case.

The Torrance District Attorney’s office charged both Copeland and Banas of Hermosa Beach who has been in police custody since April 29.

According to police, the victim opened his front door to the suspects at about 3 p.m. after they asked to speak with one of the victim’s family members. He tried closing his front door on the men after he realized they were not whom they seemed. The suspects forced their way into the home and fought with the victim.

During the fight, the suspects allegedly stabbed the man numerous times and then ran out of the victim’s house. The victim then staggered out of his home where two people eating at a nearby restaurant saw him lying on the ground. They called paramedics who transported him to a nearby hospital where he was released only days later after losing a life-threatening amount of blood.

Detectives collected information on the case, discovering the victim’s sons had told several friends their father kept large sums of cash inside the home. Officers eventually narrowed the list of suspects to Copeland and Banas.

Detectives interviewed numerous friends, relatives and acquaintances in the hopes of tracking down Copeland. Police discovered he traveled across the country using various bus lines. He used aliases and possibly spent time in Mississippi, Florida and Mexico. Police believe he was in the process of starting a new life under a different identity by using forged and stolen documents.

In July, police learned Copeland had returned to the South Bay and watched him meet his 19-year-old girlfriend in Redondo Beach. Officers then followed Copeland, driving a car with Florida license plates, to a gas station at the corner of Inglewood Avenue and Manhattan Beach Boulevard in Redondo Beach and arrested him.

Although county officials prohibit jailhouse marriages, Copeland has since married his girlfriend at a wedding chapel in Inglewood.

Copeland and Banas will appear in court again Oct. 9 for their arraignment.