Two brothers accused in the beating death of a 27-year-old man in Jurupa Valley pleaded not guilty Friday to murder.
Juan Luis Aguilar, 35, and Miguel Angel Aguilar, 31, were arrested in April following an investigation by Riverside County sheriff’s detectives into the March 23 death of Esteban Perez.
The defendants, both convicted felons, were arraigned before Superior Court Judge Eric Keen, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for June 27 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
The brothers are each being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Wally Clear, the attack happened in the predawn hours in the 6300 block of Etiwanda Avenue, near Limonite Avenue. The Aguilars allegedly assaulted Perez outside or inside of his vehicle, but a motive was not disclosed. He was discovered in his car, unconscious, prompting calls to 911, the sergeant said.
Perez was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he died three days later, apparently never regaining consciousness, Clear said.
Detectives pieced together the events surrounding the attack, culminating in the identification of the defendants as the alleged perpetrators, according to Clear.
Court records show that Juan Aguilar has prior convictions for possession of controlled substances, spousal abuse, auto theft and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and his brother has priors for felony evading, auto theft, possession of controlled substances and possession of burglary tools.