A man accused of gunning down his 75-year-old housemate and trying to kill his girlfriend during an Easter Sunday dispute at their south Riverside residence pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder and other offenses.
Christopher Jacob Lennox, 27, allegedly killed Robert Joe Mageno on March 31.
Along with murder, Lennox is charged with attempted murder, domestic violence and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Gerard, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 14 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
The defendant is being held on $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
The alleged attack happened around noon on Easter Sunday in the 7600 block of Canberra Way, near Trautwein Road, in the Mission Grove quarter.
According to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback, there was an unspecified argument between Lennox and his girlfriend, identified in court documents as Laura B. Goachet, at the defendant’s house, where several people leased rooms, including Mageno.
“The suspect retrieved a handgun and shot his girlfriend,” Railsback said. “When she fled the room, Mageno appeared from his room, and the suspect shot him. The girlfriend was able to flee across the street after the shooting.”
Witnesses called police, and patrol officers converged on the location and found Goachet wounded but conscious. She was taken to a Riverside hospital for surgery and is now in recovery.
Mageno was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
Officers took Lennox into custody without incident.
“They located a handgun inside the home … believed to have been used in the shooting,” the police spokesman said.
The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.