Redding man enters plea to first-degree murder charge in Taco Bell stabbing

Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight
·1 min read
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A Redding Police Department Crime Scene Investigation truck is parked in front of the Taco Bell in downtown Redding after a fatal stabbing Monday night, March 28, 2022.
A Redding Police Department Crime Scene Investigation truck is parked in front of the Taco Bell in downtown Redding after a fatal stabbing Monday night, March 28, 2022.

A Redding man police accuse of killing a person outside a Taco Bell in 2022 was back in court Friday morning to answer murder charges, the Shasta County District Attorney's office reported.

Brent Ray Close, 56, pleaded 'no contest' to a charge of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of Taco Bell employee Kevin James Richard Wrenne of Redding, according to the district attorney's office.

Close' sentencing hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m., May 11, the district attorney's office said in the report. At that time, he'll be sentenced to 50 years to life in a state prison, according to the terms of his plea.

Around 10 p.m. on March 28, 2022, Wrenne, 29, was on a break outside the downtown Redding restaurant when he was "attacked and killed," according to Redding police and district attorney's office reports.

Police investigating found video footage at a business near Shasta Street that showed Close throwing a knife toward a nearby business' roof, Redding Police Capt. Ron Icely said during a press conference on March 30, 2022. "Because of that video, detectives were able to recover the suspected murder weapon."

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Close was arrested two days after the stabbing where he lived: An encampment near Redding Memorial Park, Icely said.

"Close has an extensive criminal history going back as far as 1979 as a juvenile," Icely said during the press conference.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Kelly Kafel prosecuted the case, and Redding Police Department Detective Nicholas Day was the lead investigator, according to the district attorney's office.

Reporters David Benda and Michael Chapman contributed to this story.

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding man enters plea to murder charge in Taco Bell stabbing