Two of three reputed gang members accused of gunning down a 26-year-old Moreno Valley man and trying to kill two of his friends during a 2019 attack pleaded not guilty Friday to first-degree murder and other offenses.
Daron Anthony Hooks, 20 and Davonte Christopher Rowe, 24, both of Riverside, are accused with 31-year-old Maurice Landon Williamson of fatally shooting Jamon Hampton of Moreno Valley.
Along with murder, the men are charged with two counts of attempted murder, a special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait and sentence-enhancing gang, gun and great bodily injury allegations.
Hooks and Rowe were arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge O.G. Magno, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Oct. 25 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Williamson is in custody in another jurisdiction and expected to be arraigned before the end of the year.
Hooks is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, while Rowe is being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Ben Ramirez, on the night of Aug. 31, 2019, the trio allegedly confronted Hampton, another man and a boy, neither of whom were identified, outside an apartment complex at 12080 Pigeon Pass Road in Moreno Valley.
During the encounter, the defendants allegedly pulled handguns and opened fire, killing Hampton on the spot and wounding the juvenile, Ramirez said. The other victim escaped injury.
Witnesses called 911, and patrol deputies converged on the location within a few minutes, but the trio had fled, the sergeant said.
The juvenile was taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley, where he underwent surgery and ultimately recovered.
Over the next two years, homicide detectives developed leads that pointed to Hooks, Rowe and Williamson as the alleged perpetrators, according to Ramirez.
Hooks and Rowe were already in custody for unrelated offenses when investigators last month formally arrested them for the alleged slaying of Hampton.
According to court records, Williamson has prior convictions for assault with a firearm and burglary. No background information was available regarding his two alleged cohorts.