A probationer and his cohort accused in a deadly attack on a Moreno Valley man pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony charges.
Adam Melvin Carl, 29, and Ruben Alexander Puentes, 28, both of Moreno Valley, were arrested in May following a monthslong Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the slaying last year of 45-year-old Ralph Ortega.
Carl is charged with first-degree murder, being a felon with a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations. Puentes is charged with gun assault resulting in great bodily injury and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
They were arraigned jointly Thursday before Superior Court Judge Melissa Hale, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for the pair on Aug. 27 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Carl is being held on $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail; Puentes is free on a $50,000 bond.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Alberto Loureiro, on the night of Nov. 1, the defendants were involved in an unspecified dispute with Ortega in the 24000 block of Dracaea Avenue, near Heacock Street.
During the confrontation, Carl allegedly pulled a pistol and opened fire, striking the victim multiple times, according to Loureiro and court documents.
The defendants fled the location immediately after the gunfire, the sergeant alleged.
He said paramedics reached the location minutes later and found Ortega in grave condition. He was taken to nearby Riverside University Medical Center, where he died a short time later.
A possible motive has not been disclosed.
Central Homicide Unit detectives spent the ensuing six months amassing evidence that ultimately pointed to the defendants as the alleged perpetrators. Both were taken into custody without incident on Pepper Court at the end of May.
Court records indicated Carl has prior convictions for assault resulting in great bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon and driving without a license. Puentes has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.