A man facing second-degree murder and DUI charges in the death of an off-duty Costa Mesa fire captain, who was struck and killed while bicycling in Mission Viejo, appeared in court Wednesday with a new attorney but did not enter a plea.
Arraignment for Stephen Taylor Scarpa, 25, of Mission Viejo, was rescheduled for Jan. 18 in the courtroom at the Orange County Jail in Santa Ana. His bail remains set at $2 million. Scarpa's new attorney, Rudy Loewenstein, declined comment.
Scarpa is charged in the Nov. 5 death of 44-year-old Mike Kreza. The married father of three daughters was training for a triathlon when he was fatally injured. Typically, a deadly collision involving a defendant without a prior DUI conviction would bring a gross vehicular manslaughter charge.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Dan Feldman previously declined to comment on why prosecutors elected to pursue a murder charge, which could result in a sentence of up to 15 years to life in prison if Scarpa is convicted.