SALINA -A man accused of a Salina murder made his first appearance in court Tuesday.

Ivan Huizar-Alvarez, 27, appeared in Saline County District Court and was formally charged with first-degree murder.

Alvarez is accused in the stabbing death of a man in a west Salina neighborhood.

Police say Huizar-Alvarez stabbed 50-year-old Scott Johnson numerous times in the back and upper chest in the yard of a residence in the 1400 block of Arapahoe shortly before 10:00 pm on March 24th.

Johnson was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to Salina Regional Health Center.

Huizar-Alvarez was booked into the Saline County Jail on Friday after unrelated charges against him in Shawnee County were dismissed.

He was arrested in Topeka on April 6th on charges that included parole violation, criminal possession of a firearm, interfering with a law enforcement officer, driving without a license, failure to yield, improper turning, and criminal littering. Those charges were dropped on May 5th and Huizar-Alvarez was then turned over to Saline County authorities.

A hearing has been set for Monday, May 18th at 2:30 pm, in which Huizar-Alvarez will appear with his attorney. A preliminary hearing will be scheduled at that time.
Huizar-Alvarez faces a life sentence with a minimum of 50 years if he is convicted on the murder charge.

He is currently being held in the Saline County Jail on a $1 million dollar bond.