A convicted felon accused of fatally bludgeoning his 81-year-old mother at her Hemet home must stand trial for first-degree murder and other offenses, a judge ruled Thursday.
Ricardo Donald Tucker, 59, allegedly killed Lee Tucker in 2022.
Following a preliminary hearing at the Banning Justice Center Thursday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Francisco Navarro found there was sufficient evidence to bound Tucker over for trial on the murder count, as well as elder abuse, inflicting great bodily injury on a dependent adult and using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Nov. 18 and left the defendant’s bail set at $1.3 million. He’s being held at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
According to Hemet police Lt. Michael Mouat, patrol officers were sent to the victim’s residence in the 1900 block of Calle Amargosa, near Lyon Avenue, shortly before 9 p.m. on Aug. 4, 2022, to conduct a welfare check at the request of friends and neighbors.
“Officers arrived at the location and discovered the deceased elderly female, with visible injuries,” the lieutenant said.
According to court papers, Tucker allegedly used a “blunt-force instrument” to perpetrate the killing, though no other details were disclosed.
He was detained at the location for questioning, and by the following day, he was formally arrested and booked into jail.
A possible motive for the deadly attack was not provided.
Court records show the defendant has prior convictions for attempted robbery, manufacturing a weapon while incarcerated and possession of controlled substances.