A man accused of fatally shooting a 68-year-old family member during a dispute at her Jurupa Valley home pleaded not guilty Monday to murder.
James Paul Lopez, 25, of Jurupa Valley was arrested Thursday after allegedly gunning down Roberta L. Lopez inside her residence in the 5000 block of El Palomino Drive.
Along with murder, the defendant is charged with sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gail O’Rane, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 20 at the Riverside Hall of Justice and ordered him held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Ed Baeza, about 10 p.m. Wednesday, James Lopez was involved in an unspecified dispute with the victim, whose exact relationship to him was not disclosed, culminating in the defendant allegedly pulling a handgun and shooting her.
Witnesses called 911, and deputies and paramedics reached the location within a few minutes, finding Roberta Lopez dead at the scene, Baeza said.
The defendant was located nearby and detained for questioning, after which he was booked into jail.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.