A felon accused of gunning down a 41-year-old Desert Hot Springs man almost four years ago pleaded not guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder and other charges.
Camillo Castillo, 28, of Desert Hot Springs, allegedly killed Jayson Jamar Green in 2022.
Along with murder, Castillo is charged with sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations and being a prior-strike felon.
He was arraigned Wednesday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for June 12 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
The defendant was being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center.
According to the Desert Hot Springs Police Department, on the morning of July 18, 2022, there was an unspecified confrontation between the defendant and Green in the area of Buena Vista Avenue and West Drive.
During the encounter, Castillo allegedly pulled a handgun and shot the victim multiple times, then fled the location, police said.
Paramedics arrived moments later and found Green gravely wounded. He was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he lingered in a coma for a week before dying.
“While investigative efforts were exhaustive, detectives were unable to identify a suspect at the time, and the case remained unsolved,” according to a DHSPD statement.
The investigation was reopened earlier this year, netting “new leads” that pointed to Castillo as the alleged shooter, the agency stated.
No other details were disclosed, including a possible motive.
The defendant was taken into custody without incident at a Desert Hot Springs park on March 31.
His prior convictions were not listed.