A felon accused of gunning down his 24-year-old girlfriend during an argument at her home near Indio pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and other offenses.
Mario Morales Jr., 25, of Coachella was arrested Friday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the slaying of Alexis Cano.
Along with murder, Morales is charged with being a felon in possession of a gun and sentence-enhancing firearm use and great bodily injury allegations.
He was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for July 11 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
Morales is being held in lieu of $5 million bail at the Benoit Detention Center.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Jarred Bishop, just after 7 a.m. Thursday, the defendant and Cano were involved in an unspecified dispute at her residence in the 84000 block of Manilla Avenue, near Van Buren Street.
During the confrontation, Morales pulled a handgun and shot the young woman, Bishop alleged.
He said that witnesses called 911, and patrol deputies and paramedics reached the location minutes later, at which point the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bishop said Central Homicide Unit detectives took over the investigation, soon identifying Morales as the alleged perpetrator. Detectives were able to ascertain that the defendant was headed south for the border, where he was intercepted at the Calexico Port crossing in Imperial County late Friday afternoon and taken into custody without incident.
Court records did not list his prior felony convictions.