Suspect Arrested For Weekend Murder Of Musician In Plumas Forest

An Oakland man is facing murder and arson charges for allegedly stabbing an Emeryville man to death at a campground in the Plumas National Forest Saturday morning and setting the surrounding woods on fire, according to Plumas County prosecutors.

Both men were found suffering stab wounds when firefighters responded to reports of a vegetation fire in an area near the Sandy Point Campground day use area on the shores of Bucks Lake at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office.

Trevor Holminski, 20, of Emeryville, was already dead when sheriff’s deputies arrived. His badly burned body was found as firefighters put the blaze out.

Sheldon Steward, 23, of Oakland, was found near the fire with stab wounds and was flown to Enloe Medical Center for treatment. Sheriff’s deputies later went to the hospital and arrested him on suspicion of murder, sheriff’s officials said.

Since then, Steward has been charged with murder with an enhancement for using a knife, as well as arson of forestland with an enhancement for burning an area declared under a state of emergency by Gov. Jerry Brown, Plumas County District Attorney David Hollister confirmed today.

Steward remains in jail on $1 million bail and is scheduled to return to court Thursday, Hollister said.

Investigators have not elaborated on what led Steward to allegedly kill Holminski, a musician who attended Ex’pression College in Emeryville, or how both men ended up stabbed.

--Bay City News

--File photo