18-year-old says he’s going ‘hobo hunting’ and kills unhoused woman, CA officials say
Two men charged in the death of a 68-year-old woman experiencing homelessness have pleaded not guilty, California officials said.
William Innes, 18, is accused of shooting Annette Pershal with a pellet gun on May 7 in San Diego, according to a criminal complaint filed by the San Diego District Attorney’s Office.
Ryan Hopkins, 19, is accused of driving Innes to Pershal’s encampment where she had been staying for six days, The Guardian reported, and Innes is accused of shooting four to five rounds at her from inside Hopkins’ car.
Innes sent a text to a group chat involving Hopkins, saying “I’m going hobo hunting with my pellet gun,” Tanya Sierra, assistant director of communications with the District Attorney’s Office, told McClatchy News.
“An attorney representing Innes did not comment in detail about the allegations in court. Attempts to contact him after the hearing were unsuccessful,” The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
McClatchy News could not immediately reach his lawyer for comment.
Innes and Hopkins were arrested Aug. 3 by San Diego police, according to Times of San Diego.
Pershal was found in Serra Mesa with multiple pellet gun shot wounds and died in the hospital on May 11, the outlet reported.
“She’d tell me about people who would say hello to her every morning. She’d always say everything is ‘okie dokie,’” Pershal’s daughter Brandy Nazworth told The Guardian. “She was kind of a hippie … I’d like her remembered as someone who was full of love – for people, animals, for everybody.”
Innes pleaded not guilty to multiple charges including murder and Hopkins pleaded not guilty to assault with a deadly weapon, according to KGTV.
Hopkins is facing a maximum of 3 years in prison and Innes is facing 25 years to life in prison, the district attorney’s office said.
Both men are being held without bail, officials said.
This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 1:16 PM with the headline "18-year-old says he’s going ‘hobo hunting’ and kills unhoused woman, CA officials say."