RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A 57-year-old Riverside County man accused of fatally shooting his wife over the weekend pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and another charge.

William Thomas Dunlap of Good Hope entered his pleas during an arraignment before Superior Court Judge Walter Kubelun, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for June 24 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Along with the murder count, Dunlap also faces a sentence-enhancing charge of using a gun to cause great bodily injury.

He’s being held at Murrieta’s Cois Byrd Detention Center in lieu of $2 million bail.

Dunlap is accused in the shooting death of Kimberly Dunlap, 56. She was found by deputies at approximately 10:04 p.m. Saturday in the 25000 block of Highway 74 in the Good Hope community, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Despite efforts to save her, Dunlap was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s department reported that she suffered from a single gunshot wound.

The sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit assumed the investigation, and on Sunday morning William Dunlap was arrested in the case. A possible motive in the slaying was not released.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Investigator Manjarrez with the Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777 or Investigator Barbee with the Perris Station at 951-210-1000.

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SAN JACINTO, CA — A man accused of gunning down a 31-year-old San Jacinto woman and trying to kill her companion in a premeditated attack nearly seven years ago pleaded not guilty Friday to first-degree murder and other charges.

Daniel Antonio Cortez Acevedo, 27, of San Jacinto allegedly killed Anna Meza for undisclosed reasons in 2017.

Along with murder, Acevedo is charged with attempted murder, a special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

The defendant was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Francisco Navarro, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for June 7 at the Banning Justice Center.

Acevedo is being held on $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Jesse Martinez said the identity of Meza’s alleged killer required a “lengthy investigation” by Central Homicide Unit detectives.

The victim was walking with a man identified in court documents only as “J.M.” in the 100 block of North Dillon Avenue, near Main Street, on the afternoon of Nov. 12, 2017, when Acevedo allegedly approached them and pulled a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol, opening fire, according to investigators and prosecutors.

Meza was shot to death in the street. J.M. was not wounded.

The assailant, then unknown, fled the scene.

Investigators initially had little information on the circumstances and asked for the public’s assistance, but few clues surfaced.

Martinez did not disclose what detectives uncovered that finally led them to Acevedo, or why he allegedly targeted the victims.

He was taken into custody without incident following a traffic stop in San Jacinto on April 12.

Court records show the defendant has a prior misdemeanor conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm.

The post RivCo Cold Case: Suspected Killer Answers Charges 6 Years Later appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

On Wednesday, May 20, 2020, at 8:28 PM, deputies from the Perris Station responded to a call of a man down in the 27000 Block of E. State Hwy 74 in Menifee. Upon arrival they located a male adult suffering from a head injury.

The victim was transported to a local hospital where he received treatment for the injury. The victim remained in intensive care until he was pronounced deceased on Sunday, June 1, 2020. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit responded and assumed the investigation. The victim was identified as Jose Gonzalez, 60 years old out of Menifee.

This is an active investigation and no additional details are currently available. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department encourages anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Central Homicide Investigator Manjarrez at (760) 393-3530 or (951) 955-2777.

Update:

During the follow up investigation on this case, investigators were able to identify the person responsible for causing the injury sustained by Gonzalez and causing his death.  An arrest warrant for murder has been issued for Richard Adam Lopez, 32 years old out of Menifee. The public is encouraged to call 911 if they see Lopez and report his whereabouts. Please do not attempt to contact Lopez.  

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