RIVERSIDE - Moments before Jeffery Owens was beaten and stabbed outside a Riverside gay bar, one of his attackers swore at him and made a derogatory remark about his sexuality, a witness told investigators.

Owens' partner, Jeff Holland, told investigators he heard one of the attackers say, "All right, you want trouble you . . . fag, you got it," Riverside police Detective Rita Cobb said as she testified during a preliminary hearing for five men accused of a hate crime for killing the 40-year-old Moreno Valley man.

Several times before the June attack, three of the defendants joked about gays and indicated that homosexuals should be beaten up, said Cobb, quoting another person interviewed by police.

The preliminary hearing, which continues today, will determine whether there is enough evidence to order the defendants to stand trial on murder charges and an assertion Owens was targeted because he was gay, a special allegation that could mean a life sentence if they are found guilty.

The defense is expected to call several witnesses, a rarity in a preliminary hearing. They are expected to testify about Owens' medical care and try to show that the Moreno Valley man would have survived, but died because of mistakes made in his treatment.

Owens' death spurred outrage in Riverside and beyond, since many of his friends and supporters believe he was the victim of a hate crime. He was fatally stabbed in the parking lot of The Menagerie, a well-known gay bar on University Avenue.

Owens, who initially was driven to his home, died several hours after the attack at Riverside County Regional Medical Center.

The cause of death was listed as stab wounds, but an investigation determined a contributing factor in Owens' death was an overdose of an anti-clotting drug given to Owens during his emergency care. A coroner's report indicates he was given 100 times the recommended amount of heparin before surgery and died several hours later.

Dorian Lee Gutierrez, 19; Miguel Angel Ramos, 18; Viviano Cruz Marin, 26; David Leal Martinez, 19, all of Riverside; and Ramon Meza Rabago, 19, of Highgrove, are suspected members of an area street gang, authorities said.

Wendy Christina Plasier, 27, of Riverside, described as a girlfriend of one of the suspects, has also been charged as an accessory.

Cobb was the only witness to testify during Thursday's hearing in Riverside Superior Court in a room crowded with Owens' relatives and those of the five defendants.

Holland told investigators he, Owens and two friends were in the parking lot of the bar when several Hispanic men approached them and asked for a cigarette or match. Holland told police he turned away for a moment then heard the sound of a punch, Cobb said.

Holland and the two friends, including Michael Bussee, scrambled into Holland's van, but Owens went to the back door of the bar, then returned to the parking lot.

Instead of getting into the van, Owens walked up to a black pickup carrying the suspects, ignoring pleas from Holland to leave. Holland told police Owens yelled at the driver of the pickup: "You want to fight," before uttering a profanity, "Let's fight," Cobb testified. Owens threw a punch at the driver, who had rolled down his window, Cobb said.

Within moments, Holland told police, several men attacked Owens.

Cobb testified that a cousin of one of the suspects told police three of the men had on several occasions made jokes about gays and said homosexuals should be beaten.

Under cross-examination, Cobb testified the cousin believed the men were joking.