One of two local men charged with the stabbing of a Hermosa Beach man inside his home in April pleaded guilty to several charges last week, including assault with a deadly weapon and residential burglary in a Torrance Superior Court. He also agreed to testify against his co-defendant whom he alleges stabbed the victim numerous times and is now facing attempted murder and burglary charges.

According to Deputy District Attorney John Gilligan, Thomas Banas, 20, will receive a sentence of five years and four months in state prison for his plea deal and will now testify against 33-year-old Ryker Copeland of Manhattan Beach who is scheduled to appear in court March 12 where he will either plead guilty or agree to move forward with a trial.

“Banas basically agreed to testify against Copeland. We solicited an offer of proof saying that Banas would say that Copeland recruited him for this and that he observed the victim get stabbed by Copeland. A term of his sentence is that he testify truthfully at a trial if there is one, against Copeland,” said Gilligan.

Police sought Copeland for questioning soon after the attempted burglary that led to the stabbing of Rick Wood and officers later arrested him in early July.

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

“The victim was able to identify Banas because Banas’ brother played sports with his child. He basically knew him and said, ‘I knew this kid was a Banas; he looks just like his brother,'” said Gilligan. “According to testimony, there was an apartment directly in back of the victim’s house, it’s part of the same structure that was burglarized, and in that residence there were three decorative samurai swords that had sharp points but the blades on the sides themselves were dull. One of the swords was taken in the burglary and the scabbard for that was found inside the victim’s house. The person who owned the sword positively identified the scabbard and told police the sword was gone. The victim basically said Banas had a small sword when he came in his house and the person whom he believed looked like Copeland had a 4- or 5-inch knife blade in his hand.”

Wood told police Banas attacked him and tried to stab him but that he blocked his attempts with a chair. Wood noted that Banas may have stabbed him once but he’s not completely sure.

“Basically the victim lost half the blood in his body in the assault and his memory after the beginning of the attack is pretty sketchy,” added Gilligan. “He remembers engaging Banas who had the sword and was trying to stab him across a table. He remembers fending him off with a chair and at that point, Copeland allegedly came around and stabbed him on the right-hand side of his throat, shoulder and neck. He’s the one who is said to have done the lion’s share of the damage. Whether Banas actually stabbed him or not the victim basically said, ‘Yes, I think he stabbed me because I have a stab wound in the chest, which is consistent with where I was facing Banas. Banas said, ‘I never stabbed him, all the stab wounds came from Copeland.'”

According to police, Banas reportedly knocked on Wood’s door April 17, asked for someone by name and Wood told him no one by that name lived there. Prosecutors believe Banas was checking out the inside of the residence.

Several minutes later, the two men dressed in black clothing allegedly forced their way into Wood’s home in the 1500 block of Hermosa Avenue; stabbed him numerous times in the neck, arm, chest and face; and then fled the scene.

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.

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.

Banas was arrested a week after the stabbing and the court set his bail at $1 million. He has spent his time awaiting his court appearances in the Los Angeles County Men’s Jail in downtown Los Angeles.

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.

Banas’ mother recently filed a police report with Hermosa Beach officers after Copeland reportedly called her Feb. 3 and 4 at her place of work in Hermosa Beach. She claimed it was Copeland after she recognized his voice. Copeland told her she shouldn’t “say anything stupid.” He also inquired into the location of his co-defendant, Banas, who was recently moved to a different cellblock.

If convicted, Copeland, who has been convicted and spent time in state prison for robbery, could face a life sentence if he is convicted of willful, deliberate premeditative attempted murder. If he is convicted of attempted murder that is not premeditative or deliberate, the sentence carries a maximum of nine years, along with a burglary conviction. With the prior conviction, Copeland has a past strike, which will double the penalties.

“So, Copeland is facing anywhere from mid-20s to life,” added Gilligan.