San Bruno man accused of dismembering neighbor to face jury

Stubblefield, 50, has been accused of the gruesome murder of his friend and then neighbor 77-year-old Benjamin Roybal. Both men lived on Pacific Heights Boulevard in San Bruno when they got into a dispute over the cost of a space heater, according to prosecutors.

During a confrontation, Stubblefield allegedly pepper-sprayed Roybal, then shot and killed him. He then attempted to hide his crime by cutting up Roybal’s body and trying to dissolve it in chemicals. Roybal was eventually reported missing and weeks later during police’s investigation they discovered his remains in containers at Stubblefield’s home overlooking a Skyline College parking lot April 6, 2017.

The victim, who was known on the storage wars circuit, was the last person to discover a dismembered body in San Mateo County 15 years before he himself faced a similar and gruesome end. Coincidentally in 2002, Roybal and a former business associate discovered a missing woman’s corpse in a Daly City storage locker they purchased.  

Stubblefield has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody on $10 million bail, according to prosecutors. A pretrial conference was scheduled Jan. 29 and a jury trial is slated to begin March 26.