Two men accused of conspiring to kill a 27-year-old Riverside man are set to appear in court Friday.
Kenny Andrew Johnson, 40, of Riverside, and Alonzo Jeffrey Monk Jr., 43, of Colton are charged with first-degree murder and special circumstances including lying in wait and murder for financial gain. Monk faces additional allegations for gun use and causing great bodily injury.
The defendants pleaded not guilty during a joint arraignment Monday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gary Polk, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Friday at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Both men are held without bail—Johnson at Smith Correctional Facility and Monk at the Benoit Detention Center.
Police said Johnson allegedly contracted Monk to carry out the shooting on September 29. Horacio Montero Jr. was sleeping inside a single-wide trailer near an auto shop on Orange Street when he was shot multiple times. Witnesses called 911, and officers and paramedics arrived quickly. Montero was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Johnson was arrested hours after the shooting in Moreno Valley, while Monk was taken into custody at his Colton residence without incident.
According to court records, both men have extensive criminal histories. Johnson has prior convictions for robbery and attempted robbery, and Monk has prior convictions for manslaughter and burglary. Each previously served time in state prison.
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