An arraignment hearing in Santa Barbara County Superior Court for a Lompoc homicide suspect has been continued until later this month.
Walter A. Morales Jr.
Walter A. Morales Jr., 26, was taken into custody Friday night after a standoff in Santa Maria.
He had been sought in connection with the September shooting of Army Pfc. Marlon Brumfield. The 22-year-old Brumfield was fatally wounded while home on leave.
On Monday, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging Morales with murder plus several sentencing enhancements including street terrorism, personal use of a firearm and committing a crime for the benefit of a gang.
A co-defendant in the case, Francisco Gutierrez-Ortega, 25, of Santa Maria, was arrested shortly after the shooting and charged with murder.
While the suspects reportedly were linked to a criminal street gang, authorities do not believe that Brumfield had any affiliation to a gang.
During the brief court matter Tuesday in a Santa Maria courtroom, Judge Gustavo Lavayen appointed Dillon Forsyth as the attorney for Morales, who did not appear for the hearing and did not enter a plea.
Supervising Deputy District Attorney Scott Donahue is leading the prosecution for the case.
The arraignment hearing has been continued to July 28 at Lompoc Superior Court.
Morales remains in the custody of the Santa Barbara County Jail without bail.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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July 22, 2020 at 09:05AM
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Arraignment Hearing Continued for Lompoc Homicide Defendant - Noozhawk
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