A Riverside man accused of fatally beating his 31-year-old housemate with a shovel pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and other offenses.
Richard Thomas Martinez, 48, was arrested last month following a Riverside Police Department investigation into the slaying of Bradley Minder.
Along with murder, Martinez is charged with possession of controlled substances, possession of drug paraphernalia and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gail O’Rane, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for March 18 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
The defendant is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
According to Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback, on the night of Oct. 17, officers received reports from an unidentified concerned party that Minder had not been seen in days, and the victim’s housemate, Martinez, “had made statements claiming he killed” the man.
Officers went to the men’s shared residence in the 8700 block of Sylvan Drive, near Lake Street, where a “search of the property revealed a possible crime scene in the backyard,” Railsback said.
He said that homicide detectives were summoned to the location, as well as county sheriff’s cadaver dogs.
“The dogs alerted to freshly disturbed soil in the backyard,” the police spokesman said. “As detectives began digging the area, they found human remains.”
The body found in the makeshift grave was confirmed to be that of Minder.
The initial investigation revealed there had been an unspecified altercation between the victim and Martinez, during which the latter armed himself with a shovel and beat the victim to death, Railsback and court papers alleged.
The defendant, who has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County, was taken into custody without incident.
“Bradley was the gentlest soul to ever walk this earth,” according to a family statement. “He was a kind friend and deeply loyal son, brother and uncle. His family meant more to him than anything in the world. He forgave easily and treated everyone with pure, unadulterated love.”
Friends of the victim’s family established a GoFundMe account, noting that Minder’s mother and sisters in Kansas were struggling with funeral expenses.
The campaign had raised $5,560 as of Monday. The goal is $10,000. Donations can be made at www.gofundme.com/f/help-bradley-minders-family-honor-him?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp8_c&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link .