A 20-year-old Banning man accused of gunning down another man pleaded not guilty to a murder charge Friday.
Andrew Elijah Delgado is accused in the Sept. 18 slaying of a man who was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the 3800 block of West Ramsey Street.
The victim, identified only as John Doe in court documents, was shot just before 4 p.m. and died at the scene, according to the Banning Police Department. The defendant’s connection, if any, to the victim was not disclosed.
According to police, Delgado and Patrick Soward, 61, were captured on surveillance footage leaving the shooting scene in Soward’s car. The men were arrested later that night at Soward’s North Murray Street address, where investigators allegedly found additional evidence “showing Soward and Delgado’s involvement in the homicide earlier in the day.”
Police also allege the men dug a hole at the residence and burned other evidence connecting them to the killing.
Though Soward was also booked on suspicion of murder, he was only charged with a felony count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm — specifically a shotgun. The criminal complaint alleges that Soward has prior convictions that include a 1983 Riverside County robbery conviction.
Delgado, who remains held on $1 million bail, is due back in court Nov. 16 for a felony settlement conference.
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