A man accused of fatally shooting a motorist as he sat in his car in Wildomar pleaded not guilty Thursday to a murder charge.
Paul Henry Carl Stoeppler, 34, of Murrieta is charged with killing 35-year-old Mark Corona of Menifee. Along with the murder count, he faces sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Kelly Hansen, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 10 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Ben Ramirez, the attack happened about 3:20 p.m. on June 3 near a shopping center in the 32200 block of Clinton Keith Road, just west of Interstate 15. Ramirez alleged that Stoeppler had a confrontation with Corona and shot the victim multiple times in his vehicle, but the circumstances leading up to the gunfire were not disclosed.
Witnesses called 911, and deputies reached the location moments later, detaining the defendant without a struggle. Corona was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
The defendant, who is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.