Felon charged with 4 LA County murders in 4 days pleads not guilty

Man charged in homeless murders, San Dimas slaying

Jerrid Joseph Powell, a felon arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting three homeless men in Los Angeles, along with the follow-home robbery and slaying of an LA County employee in San Dimas, was charged with four counts of murder among other charges.

LOS ANGELES - A felon charged in the shooting deaths of three homeless men in Los Angeles, along with the follow-home robbery and slaying of an L.A. County employee in San Dimas -- all within a four-day period in late November -- pleaded not guilty Monday.

Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, of Los Angeles, is charged with four counts of murder and one count each of residential robbery and a felon carrying a concealed firearm. He remains jailed without bail.

The murder charges include the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder during the commission of a robbery -- the latter involving the Nov. 28 killing of county employee Nicholas Simbolon. The charges also include allegations that Powell personally used a handgun during the commission of the crimes, and that he has a 2015 conviction from San Bernardino County for assault.

Powell could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted as charged. He is due back in court April 24, when a date will be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for him to stand trial.

Jerrid Joseph Powell

Powell was originally arrested Nov. 30 in connection with the killing of Simbolon, who worked as a project manager in the Los Angeles County executive office. Days later, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna announced that Powell had been tied to the fatal shootings of three homeless men.

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A handgun recovered from Powell's vehicle was used in the three homeless killings, the LAPD chief said.

"Our detectives worked closely with sheriff's investigators and our forensics services overnight. The result of their work has positively identified the handgun recovered from Mr. Powell's car as being the murder weapon of our three homicides," he said.

The sheriff said that Beverly Hills police conducted a traffic stop of Powell's vehicle, and that Powell was arrested early Nov. 30. Luna said the vehicle was linked to Powell after the San Dimas killing, which occurred just before 7 p.m. Nov. 28 in the garage of a home in the 1800 block of Hawkbrook Drive.

The first homeless killing occurred around 3 a.m. Nov. 26 in the 800 block of West 110th Street in the Westmont area near Watts, followed by another at about 5 a.m. Nov. 27 in the 600 block of Mateo Street near downtown, and another at 2:30 a.m. Nov. 29 at South Avenue 18 and South Pasadena Avenue near Lincoln Heights, Moore said.

VIDEO OF PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

Man shot dead in suspected follow-home robbery

A man was shot and killed outside of his own home in San Dimas.

"Each of the victims were in an open area, be it a sidewalk or alley, they were alone," Moore said previously. "We believe a single individual approached each one and shot and killed each one as they slept. The investigators have gathered physical evidence as well as video images and we've identified this possible male lone individual as well as a vehicle."

According to the chief and the county medical examiner's office, the victim in the first shooting Nov. 26 was Jose Bolanos, 37, who died from a gunshot wound to the head. Mark Diggs, 62, died on a sidewalk from a gunshot wound to the head, and Shawn Alvarez, 52, died on a sidewalk Nov. 29 of multiple gunshot wounds, according to records from the medical examiner's office.

Simbolon, 42, was found Nov. 28 by his wife inside his Tesla in the garage of his San Dimas home, according to witnesses and sheriff's officials. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. The medical examiner's office determined that he died from a gunshot wound to the head.

The sheriff said surveillance video determined that Simbolon was apparently followed home from an electric-vehicle charging station in the 200 block of South Citrus Street in West Covina. The suspect approached Simbolon in the garage, stole some unspecified items and then "senselessly" shot him, Luna said.

The sheriff said investigators saw a vehicle of interest on surveillance video that was believed to be connected to the crime. The license plate number of the 2024 gray BMW 440i four-door was entered into an automatic reader system that led to the discovery of the car near Santa Monica Boulevard and Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills, and police pulled the driver over, leading to his arrest.

Luna said the gun found in the vehicle is also believed to be the one used to kill Simbolon. The sheriff said there was no known connection among the four killings, and no known relationship between Powell and Simbolon.

Simbolon is survived by his mother, wife and two sons, ages 8 and 10, according to the sheriff.

The homicide was the first in San Dimas since a gang-related killing Dec. 6, 2022, the last of three homicides in the city in 2022, sheriff's Lt. Hugo Reynaga told City News Service.