Man pleads no contest to fatal stabbing near Hollywood Walk of Fame

A 27-year-old mentally ill man on trial in the fatal stabbing of a woman near the Hollywood Walk of Fame pleaded no contest Tuesday to involuntary manslaughter, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

On June 18, 2013, Dustin James Kinnear was accused of stabbing Christine Calderon, 23, after demanding money from the woman. The incident prompted increased patrols around the tourist destination.

According to court testimony, Calderon and her friend, Robert Harden, were walking down Hollywood Boulevard when the pair snapped a photo of a sign they found funny with their cellphones.The sign was held by Brian Joseph Widdows, 35, who demanded money from the two. Kinnear also wanted money, and an altercation happened during which another man, Jason Joel Wolstone, 34, put Calderon in a headlock.

During the fight, Kinnear got on top of Calderon and, at some point, stabbed her. As Calderon and Harden ran away, Calderon pulled up her shirt and revealed a stab wound. She died at a hospital hours later.

In the trial, Wolstone denied asking for money. He testified that Kinnear, also known as “Red,” had come out from an alcove and had gotten “nose-to-nose pretty much” with Calderon.

Wolstone said he was tackled from behind by Calderon and put her in a headlock. When Widdows told him Calderon was a woman, Wolstone said he released her and noticed blood on his arm.

Wolstone and Widdows, meanwhile, went to McDonald’s, where they saw Kinnear, who said, “I stuck somebody,” Wolstone testified. Wolstone and Widdows then returned to the scene of the stabbing, where they were arrested.

Wolstone pleaded no contest to one count of assault and was sentenced in April to two years in state prison. Widdows also pleaded no contest to being an accessory after the fact and received a two-year prison term.

Kinnear is expected to receive 12 years in state prison when he is sentenced Oct. 10.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

Photo: Dustin James Kinnear, center, at his arraignment in October 2013. Co-defendant Jason Joel Wolstone is to his right and a third man, Brian Joseph Widdows is to his left. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times