A man accused of gunning down a Riverside resident during a confrontation in Highgrove almost 20 years ago pleaded not guilty Friday to murder.
Anthony Silvas Miera, 51, of Spring Valley was arrested in December following an investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Cold Case Unit.
Miera was arraigned Friday before Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for June 26 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
The defendant is being held on $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail,
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Jarred Bishop, he allegedly gunned down 21-year-old Raymond Cardenas in the predawn hours of June 18, 2006, on Citrus Street, near Northgate Street, less than a half-mile south of Interstate 215.
Bishop alleged there was an unspecified confrontation between the men, during which Miera pulled a handgun and opened fire, then fled.
The victim managed to run to a nearby residence and wake the occupants, who called 911.
“Deputies arrived on scene and located … Cardenas, suffering from gunshot wounds,” the sergeant said.
The young man was pronounced dead minutes later by paramedics.
“Although Miera was identified as a suspect (at the time), there was insufficient evidence to charge him, and the case went cold,” Bishop said.
He said the investigation was shelved until Cold Case Unit detectives reopened it in August.
“After conducting additional investigation, the unit developed sufficient evidence to charge Miera,” Bishop said, without providing specifics.
An arrest warrant was served at Miera’s residence, where he was taken into custody without incident on Dec. 26.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.