By Jorge Casuso

September 17, 2025 -- A California Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Tuesday in a case seeking to reinstate murder charges against a homeless man allowed to undergo treatment without a trial.

Job Uriah Taylor, who was charged with assault and attempted murder after allegedly attacking three black victims in Santa Monica in March of last year, was granted a mental health diversion in July.

The ruling by Superior Court Judge Lana Kim, who has a record of allowing violent offenders to enter rehabilitation programs instead of facing prosecution, was appealed by the LA County District Attorney's Office.

According to California's mental health diversion process that took effect in June 2018, the court must be satisfied that, if treated, the defendant "will not pose an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety."

Prosecutors argue that Taylor poses a danger to public safety and note that he will not be held in a lockdown facility during the diversion program and could be released after completing treatment without supervision.

Taylor was arrested and charged with racially motivated attacks on three Black homeless victims with a metal pipe that took place on the beach and outside the Expo Light rail station Downtown on March 3.

The first attack took place at around 7:30 a.m. on the 1100 block of the beach near the California incline, police said.

Taylor "approached the African American victim who was walking his dog and threatened to attack him with a metal pipe," yelling several racial slurs," police said at the time, adding that the victim was not injured.

The two other assaults took place some 20 minutes later on the north side of the train platform at 4th Street and Colorado Avenue, police said.

"The same suspect was seen attacking a male and female, both African American, with the same pipe," police said. "Taylor hit the victims multiple times in the head while yelling more racial slurs."

The two victims were homeless and camping out near the station, police said. They were transported to the hospital.

The female victim was released the same day, while the man, identified as Christian Hornburg, 64, suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Taylor was charged on March 8, 2023 by former DA George Gascon with two counts of attempted murder, one count of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.

The DA added hate crime allegations to the counts.