Missing elderly couple and their pet at California nudist resort were killed over a hot dog, detective testifies

Michael Royce Sparks had myriad disputes with his elderly next-door neighbors at the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in Redlands before prosecutors say he killed mutilated and dismembered Dan Menard and his wife Stephanie in August There was the noisy generator that the Menards installed between their homes While Sparks disliked certain Olive Dell residents he hated the Menards a resident testified That same resident noted Dan Menard angered Sparks by cutting limbs from Sparks tree that hung over the Menards property And another resident noted in her testimony the frequent grousing Stephanie Menard did about what she considered the sinful Sparks who was otherwise a popular figure among the nearly residents But what ultimately set him off according to testimony Monday June at Sparks preliminary hearing at the San Bernardino County Justice Center in San Bernardino was his humiliation over a hot dog Redlands police Detective Thomas Williams testified that about three weeks after Sparks was arrested on Aug a fellow inmate at the West Valley Detention Center came forward with a story he noted Sparks shared A text message between Michael Royce Sparks and Gale Heidelberg is displayed as evidence during Sparks preliminary hearing at the San Bernardino Justice Center on Monday June Sparks is accused of murdering and dismembering his neighbors Daniel Menard and Stephanie Menard in Aug at the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in Redlands where they all lived Photo by John Valenzuela Contributing Photographer He disclosed Mr Sparks reported him the occurrence started over a hot dog that Daniel Menard had purchased for him Williams informed Deputy District Attorney Sean Han He explained Mr Sparks felt that the hot dog was a jab at him making him feel like he was worth only a dollar hot dog and that s what set him off that day The inmate commented Sparks went outside and struck Mr Menard in the head until his head caved in Mrs Menard came out yelling No No and then he began striking Mrs Menard and Mr Menard with a rake a hoe and a hammer Williams reported Sparks added more details to his story to the inmates Williams testified Sparks took the Menards into the concrete bunker he had built beneath his trailer He dismembered Stephanie Menard and then mutilated her husband he stated the inmates Government later discovered the body parts in several black plastic bags and an orange Home Depot bucket Williams commented Witness John Willis testifies during a a preliminary hearing for Michael Royce Sparks at the San Bernardino Justice Center Monday June Sparks is accused of murdering and dismembering his neighbors Daniel Menard and Stephanie Menard in Aug at the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in Redlands where they all lived Photo by John Valenzuela Contributing Photographer Sparks also acknowledged drowning the Menards white Shih Tzu Cuddles in a sink and throwing away her body Williams announced When the trash wasn t picked up on the regular day he cast Cuddles into the hills where he inferred coyotes ate her Williams revealed Sparks attorney Gary Ablard did not present a defense Following the testimony Superior Court Judge Alexander R Martinez ruled there was sufficient evidence to hold Sparks for trial on two charges of murder and one count of animal cruelty Sparks has pleaded not guilty to all charges Witness Gale Heidelberg is questioned by San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney Sean Han during a a preliminary hearing for Michael Royce Sparks at the San Bernardino Justice Center Monday June Sparks is accused of murdering and dismembering his neighbors Daniel Menard and Stephanie Menard in Aug at the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in Redlands where they all lived Photo by John Valenzuela Contributing Photographer District Attorney Jason Anderson has not stated whether he will seek the death penalty The next hearing is scheduled for June Several residents of Olive Dell where they agreed with Han and Deputy District Attorney Justin Crocker that everyone knows everybody were traumatized as they testified Monday Wayne Marinelli had to pause to compose himself during his testimony that during the search for the Menards he saw Sparks washing out a -gallon drum that appeared to have blood in it Tammie Wilkerson didn t even make it that far crying as she spelled her name to the court reporter as she took the stand Defense attorney Gary Ablard questions a witness during a preliminary hearing for his client Michael Royce Sparks at the San Bernardino Justice Center on Monday June Sparks is accused of murdering and dismembering his neighbors Daniel Menard and Stephanie Menard in Aug at the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in Redlands where they all lived Photo by John Valenzuela Contributing Photographer They described Mike or Sparky as friendly and handy with construction projects at their homes He was quiet and sometimes stayed in his home for a week Mary Farrell whose testimony was delayed while court staff retrieved an assisted-listening device My dog ate my hearing aid Farrell testified in all seriousness announced Sparks helped her load furniture and boxes when she moved Related Articles Man fatally shot while walking dog is San Leandro s first homicide of the year I took the life of an innocent man East Bay man apologizes as he s sentenced for homicide Teen suspect arrested in Santa Cruz County double homicide incident San Francisco man sentenced after judge denied dismissal motion over cop s groin frisk One dead two injured in East Bay shooting Wilkerson mentioned Sparks built a kennel for her working all day without emerging a sweat He easily lifted large bags of concrete He was eerily strong for a man his age to me she testified The Menards lived at the -year-old resort in the hills of Reche Canyon on the Colton perimeter for years Resident John Hillis testified that Stephanie Menard had muscular dystrophy and walked with a cane Her husband had dementia and while ambulatory couldn t walk far So Hillis drove the Menards to church in Moreno Valley every Sunday He testified that he didn t get his usual call from Stephanie Menard on Aug alerting him to pick them up As Hillis drove to church he spotted the couple s late s Chrysler Sebring outside the resort in a driveway the keys still in the ignition After they didn t show up at church Hillis went to their home He was best friends with the Menards and had a key to their home so he could check in on them Hillis declared he was surprised to see Stephanie s purse and Dan s wallet But the bulk alarming he added was spotting Stephanie s cane She doesn t cross the threshold of the door without the cane Hillis noted Witness Mary Farrell testifies during a a preliminary hearing for Michael Royce Sparks at the San Bernardino Justice Center Monday June Sparks is accused of murdering and dismembering his neighbors Daniel Menard and Stephanie Menard in Aug at the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in Redlands where they all lived Photo by John Valenzuela Contributing Photographer For four days residents and bureaucrats searched for the Menards in what was initially a missing persons development That changed on Aug when a relative of Sparks in Minnesota and a former co-worker advised police that they had received startling text messages from Sparks at the same time officers were going home to home at the resort hunting for the Menards Gale Heidelberg testified she was a dispatcher at Smitty s Diesel Repair in Colton where Sparks once worked as a truck driver She sometimes drove Sparks home so she recognized the neighborhood when she saw television coverage of the search A photo is displayed in court of couple Daniel Menard and Stephanie Menard during a a preliminary hearing for Michael Royce Sparks at the San Bernardino Justice Center Monday June Sparks is accused of murdering and dismembering his neighbors Daniel Menard and Stephanie Menard in Aug at the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in Redlands where they all lived Photo by John Valenzuela Contributing Photographer I am watching news Something going on where you live Are you in town Heidelberg texted Sparks It s me Sparks replied Committing suicide in the present day Take care Bye Answered Heidelberg Wait What s going on Where are you Sparks answer Chopped up my neighbors Didn t know I had it in me SNAPPED Redlands Detective Laurel Shearer was smelling a foul odor at Sparks home at Space when she received word of the texts She called and texted Sparks who refused to come out A text message between Michael Royce Sparks and Mary Farrell is displayed as evidence during Sparks preliminary hearing at the San Bernardino Justice Center on Monday June Sparks is accused of murdering and dismembering his neighbors Daniel Menard and Stephanie Menard in Aug at the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in Redlands where they all lived Photo by John Valenzuela Contributing Photographer Redlands Cpl Jeremiah Hotchner testified that police used a tractor to tear the trailer apart They spotted Sparks in the bunker holding a long rifle Sparks tried to shoot himself but the rifle jammed Williams demanded Sparks where the Menards were and whether they needed help He communicated me they were underneath the trailer and that they didn t need any help Williams disclosed adding that he inquired why that was He replied back that they were in pieces Williams testified