SAN DIEGO : Not Guilty Plea in Stoning Death
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A man accused of throwing a rock that struck and killed a woman at a Logan Heights trolley station pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge of murder.
Wardell Monroe Campbell, 19, is accused of murdering Monica Chappa, 18, of El Cajon. Campbell, who is in custody in lieu of $1 million bail, was on probation at the time of the attack on Chappa after a conviction in another assault case that involved a rock.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Victor Nunez said in court Wednesday that Campbell hurled a 4 1/2-pound rock that “busted her head open.”
During his arraignment, Campbell also denied charges that he stabbed a man during a robbery in Logan Heights. He pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and robbery charges stemming from an Aug. 10, 1991, attack on Alex Spells on L Street.
The Chappa killing occurred July 4 when the victim, who reportedly wanted to use the restroom as she traveled to an evening out in Tijuana, left a trolley at 32nd Street and Commercial Avenue.
A preliminary hearing in the case was scheduled for Sept. 2.
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