Two men accused in the shooting death of a Newhall man in the parking lot of Valencia Liquor June 17 pleaded not guilty at their arraignment.
Omar Garcia Ramirez, 25, and Jose Corona Duarte, 30, both are charged with one count of murder in connection with the shooting death of 31-year-old Fernando Edgar Barnabe.
The two were held to answer April 1 to the murder — Garcia Ramirez also is facing charges of possession of a firearm by a felon and fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s motor vehicle while driving recklessly. The latter charge stems from an alleged June 26 incident involving Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies during Garcia Ramirez’s arrest.
Garcia Ramirez is facing a half-dozen special allegations related to the charges that would make him eligible for more than 25 years in prison. He also had a 2020 conviction for shooting at an occupied dwelling listed in the criminal complaint.
Corona Duarte also is facing a special enhancement allegation of a violent strike if convicted, as well as six potential sentencing enhancements related to the alleged use of a gun in the commission of the crime.
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office was not immediately available to confirm Corona Duarte’s potential sentence.
Their trial is being continued until June.
