Man Locked Horns With Neighbor And Struck With A Sword, Gets Federal Prison Sentence

A 42-year-old Riverside County man was recently sentenced to prison following a violent attack on a neighbor. The defendant pleaded guilty to the assault, which authorities said occurred on Sept. 11, 2025. The sentence was handed down at the Southwest Justice Center by Judge Raul Sahagun.

Authorities said the defendant was already on probation at the time of the attack. Court records show he had prior convictions that included making criminal threats and violating a restraining order. Prosecutors also noted that he had additional convictions in another jurisdiction. However, the May 18 hearing focused specifically on the assault involving his neighbor.

Michael John Keen pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment under a pretrial agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors later dismissed a vandalism charge in exchange for his guilty plea. Keen was ultimately sentenced to five years and four months in state prison.

The Murrieta Police Department was first notified of the incident shortly before midnight in September 2025. Officers responded to a residence at the Madison Park Condominiums, where they found a victim suffering from multiple lacerations to the face and hand.

According to the victim, identified in court records as RG, Keen — who lived across the apartment complex — attacked him with a sword during a confrontation. Investigators said Keen retrieved the weapon from his residence and intentionally struck RG in the face and hands. While the exact cause of the dispute remains unclear, authorities said Keen’s actions following the assault raised additional concerns.

The victim, identified as RG in court records, told investigators that Michael John Keen ran back to his condominium shortly after the attack. According to authorities, Keen then barricaded himself inside the residence by shutting the doors and windows, allegedly in an attempt to avoid arrest.

Because Keen was believed to be armed with a sword, officers from the Murrieta Police Department requested assistance from a SWAT team. Authorities said negotiators spent several hours attempting to persuade Keen to surrender peacefully.

After negotiations failed, SWAT officers forcibly entered the condominium and took Keen into custody. Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the residence, where officers recovered the alleged assault weapon — a sword.

Police Lt. Steve Widdon, in his statement, underlined the efforts made by the police force to nab the culprit. He remarked, “The team devised a plan and made entry into the suspect's condo. Once inside, the suspect was taken into custody. No injuries to the suspect or officers were reported."

After the arrest, Keen was placed in custody with a bail set at $200,000. Meanwhile, the victim, RG, was rushed to a regional trauma center for treatment of his wounds. He suffered from non-life-threatening injuries and has since recovered.