A Hemet man accused of gunning down a 30-year-old woman during an argument at their shared residence pleaded not guilty Friday to murder and other charges.
Koron LeKeith Lowe, 24, was arrested in January for the alleged slaying of Asasha Lache Hall of Hemet. Along with murder, Lowe is charged with attempted murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for July 13 at the Banning Justice Center and left the defendant’s bail at $1 million.
Lowe is being held at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio.
He allegedly killed Hall during a confrontation with her and other unnamed parties on the first floor of their residence in the 3000 block of Greengable Lane, near Lavender Lane, at about 6:15 a.m. on Jan. 25, according to Lt. Nathan Miller of the Hemet Police Department.
Specific details regarding the conflict were not disclosed.
According to Miller, in addition to Hall and Lowe, three other adults resided at the home, along with two children, ages 5 and 6 years old. There were also two visitors in the house that morning.
When the gunfire erupted, the mother of the two children grabbed them and hid in an upstairs room, calling 911, according to Miller, who added that two other people fled out of the garage.
Patrol officers converged on the location minutes later and discovered Hall gravely wounded. She died at the scene. No one else was hurt.
Surrounding properties were evacuated as a precaution as SWAT members conducted a thorough search of the Greengable house and the immediate area. The search ended after several hours and detectives turned their attention to Lowe, who was originally named a person of interest but soon became the prime suspect, Miller said.
He said investigators worked 24 hours, determining that Lowe was likely in the Banning Pass. On the afternoon of Jan. 26, the investigative team found him in a parking lot in Cabazon, where he was holed up in his vehicle, Miller alleged.
“Investigators attempted to negotiate with Lowe, but he refused to surrender and get out of the parked car,” the lieutenant said. “Hemet police canine `Bosco’ was used to arrest Lowe and get him out of the car. Bosco sustained injuries during the arrest when Lowe violently fought the dog and struck it with a sharp piece of wood.”
The defendant suffered unspecified minor injuries while allegedly resisting arrest, but the dog’s actions enabled police officers and sheriff’s deputies to wrestle Lowe into custody, according to Miller.
Bosco was taken to a veterinary clinic for treatment and has since recovered.
Lowe has no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.