What to Know
- A fifth man pleaded not guilty in connection with the beating death of a young man whose body was found on the side of a mountain road.
- The five suspects face charges in the death of Julian Hamori-Andrade, 20.
- Hamori-Andrade's body was discovered around 6 p.m. May 30 in heavy brush about 30 feet down the hill alongside Highway 39 in Azusa Canyon.
A fifth man pleaded not guilty Thursday in connection with the beating death of a young man whose body was found on the side of a mountain road in the Angeles National Forest.
Andrew Joseph Michael Williams, 19, is charged along with Hercules Dimitrios Balaskas, Francisco Amigon and Jacob Hunter, each 19, and Matthew Martin Capiendo Luzon, 21, in the death of Julian Hamori-Andrade, 20.
Hamori-Andrade's body was discovered around 6 p.m. May 30 in heavy brush about 30 feet down the hill alongside Highway 39 in Azusa Canyon, according to Deputy Trina Schrader of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Information Bureau.
Authorities said he was beaten at Luzon's home in the 6100 block of Goodway Drive in the Azusa area, where authorities found a large pool of blood on the floor May 28. Hamori-Andrade was then driven to Azusa Canyon, where again he was beaten and thrown over the side of the road, according to investigators. All five defendants are charged with murder, residential robbery and kidnapping.
Balaskas, Amigon, Hunter and Luzon are also facing the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and murder during the commission of a kidnapping and a robbery. Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty against them. Williams is not facing the special circumstance allegations, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
