A man who allegedly killed a homeless man in a Covina parking lot then fired shots at his ex-girlfriend in West Covina pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder, attempted murder and other charges.
Manuel Jerome Lujan, 33, of La Puente, is also charged with shooting at an inhabited dwelling, assault with a firearm, second-degree robbery and exhibiting a concealed firearm in public, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
According to prosecutors, Lujan allegedly robbed a man at gunpoint on April 26 in La Puente, making off with the victim’s cell phone. Three days later, he was allegedly spotted driving erratically and waving a gun in a West Covina neighborhood. Prosecutors said residents later heard gunfire, and authorities later found the body of 36-year-old Jabarri Rafael Butts, a homeless man, in a parking lot in the 500 block of South Vincent Avenue.
About one hour after that shooting, Lujan allegedly went to the home of his ex-girlfriend in the 300 block of West Center Street in Covina, threw rocks at the house then fired shots when his girlfriend looked out of a window.
Lujan was arrested the next day.
He is due back in court July 9. He faces up to life in prison if convicted, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
— City News Service