SANTA CRUZ >> New evidence arising ahead of a Santa Cruz park murder trial dramatically altered the case’s course this week, attorneys said.

Joseph Young, 31, of Santa Cruz, pleaded no contest Tuesday to charges after the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office amended its complaint from murder to involuntary manslaughter with use of a deadly weapon Monday. Additional criminal enhancements filed earlier are expected to be dropped at Young’s Oct. 30 sentencing.

The Santa Cruz Police Department arrested Young in connection with the April 19 fatal stabbing of Todd Kolibas, 44, at the George Washington picnic area of DeLaveaga Park. Within hours of a fight between the two men, Young had turned himself in at the police department.

During Tuesday’s hearing before Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Stephen Siegel, Assistant District Attorney Johanna Schonfield laid out several reasons for the downgraded charges, including DNA evidence indicating Kolibas had handled both the knife used to kill him and a Taser stun gun and that a toxicology report showed Kolibas had a “significant” amount of methamphetamine in his system at the time of his death, she said. Also integral to the case, which had been proceeding expeditiously without a time waiver, was information shared by Young’s defense attorney, T.J. Brewer, regarding Kolibas’ history of violence and past alleged criminal conduct, Schonfield said.Outside of court, Schonfield said new evidence and discovery had turned up “significant legal issues.”

“This is not about blaming the victim but definitely about continuing to assess the case and make changes to the charges when evidence suggests that that’s appropriate,” Schonfield said. “In light of the facts of the case, we do what we think is just.”

Brewer said that his research showed Kolibas was under investigation for an uncharged attempted murder case in which he allegedly held a flare gun to the back of someone’s head in March 2023, then bragged about it while threatening a gay couple in a hate crime in December, an interaction recorded in a video. DNA results, Brewer said, appeared to counter witness statements and substantiate Young’s contention that Kolibas had threatened him with a knife that Young initially pushed away during a struggle. The two men knew each other from their work together at Santa Cruz’s peer-run Mental Health Client Action Network, according to the organization’s former executive director, Sarah Leonard, and had past confrontations.

“I want to thank the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office and particularly (prosecutors) Ilia (McKinney), Tara (George) and Johanna (Schonfield) for being as ethical as possible and working with me very honestly and openly in order to come to a resolution,” Brewer said after the hearing.

Young’s trial, scheduled for later this month before Judge Denine Guy, was canceled. Young was scheduled for release from the Santa Cruz County Jail later Tuesday and was expected to be sentenced to two years probation and credit for his already-served four months of jail time.