Three young men from Oakland pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder and other charges stemming from a follow-home attempted robbery in Bel-Air in which a victim was shot in the head and a fourth suspect was fatally wounded.
Mahki Jamir Taylor, Jason Alexander Melara and Daymonee Christian Johnson, all 19, are charged with one count each of murder, second-degree robbery and shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, along with two counts each of attempted second-degree robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
Taylor is also facing one count of attempted murder.
The three are also facing allegations that they personally used a handgun, with Taylor facing an additional allegation that he personally inflicted great bodily injury, according to the criminal complaint.
The most serious charges stem from the follow-home attempted robbery Sept. 13, in which police said the victim and his wife were confronted in their driveway in the 11400 block of North Thurston Circle, near Sunset Boulevard and the San Diego (405) Freeway, by multiple armed suspects who demanded property from them.
One of the suspects shot the man in the head before fleeing the scene with the other suspects in an awaiting vehicle, authorities said.
The victim — who is listed in the criminal complaint as “John Doe #2” — was critically injured, authorities said.
Police said one of the suspects, Mario Melara, was severely injured during the robbery and shooting and later died at a hospital. It was unclear if Melara — who was identified as Jason Melara’s brother — sustained injuries from the victim or from one of the other suspects.
The second-degree robbery charge and one of the assault charges against the three defendants stem from a Sept. 12 hold-up of an alleged victim identified only as “John Doe #1,” according to the complaint.
Investigators eventually located Jason Melara, Johnson and Taylor in Northern California, where they were arrested.
They remain behind bars without bail and are due back in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Jan. 7. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against them to proceed to trial.