BANNING – A probationer accused of gunning down a 31-year-old man during a confrontation outside a San Jacinto home made his initial court appearance today.
Juan Alonso Perez, 28, allegedly killed Gabriel Sanchez of San Jacinto last November.
Perez is charged with murder, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
He appeared before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst, who appointed him a public defender and scheduled his arraignment for Sept. 16 at the Banning Justice Center.
The defendant is being held on $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.
When sheriff’s detectives formally arrsested him on Monday, he was already in custody at the Murrieta jail due to an unrelated auto theft and felony evading case.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Ben Ramirez, Perez and Sanchez were involved in a dispute in front of a residence in the 21100 block of State Street on the morning of Nov. 6.
The sergeant alleged that during the encounter, Perez pulled a handgun and shot the victim, then fled as witnesses called 911.
Ramirez said that Sanchez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives spent the ensuing 10 months working to develop leads, which ultimately pointed to Perez as the alleged perpetrator, according to Ramirez.
Details regarding the separate case for which Perez was jailed earlier this year were not available. Court records show he has prior convictions for eluding a peace officer, bringing contraband into a correctional facility, being in possession of controlled substances and parole violations.
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