LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA – A parolee accused of stabbing a 65-year-old clerk to death at the Walmart Supercenter in Lake Elsinore earlier this month pleaded not guilty Friday to first-degree murder and other charges.

In addition to murder, 29-year-old Lonnie Will Hinton III of Wildomar is also charged with lying in wait under special circumstances, use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a serious crime and violation of probation.

He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jeff Zimel, who scheduled a criminal settlement hearing for October 10 at the Southwest Justice Center.

The defendant is being held without bail at the Cois Byrd Detention Center in French Valley.

According to Sheriff Sergeant Jarred Bishop, Hinton was at the Walmart store at 29260 Central Avenue shortly before 7 a.m. on August 5 when he confronted employee Jessica Morales of Menifee.

Within 15 minutes, paramedics arrived and pronounced Morales dead at the scene.

Morales and Hinton did not know each other.

“This appears to be a random incident and there was no interaction between the suspect and the victim prior to the attack,” the sheriff’s department said.

No further injuries were reported.

On the day of the stabbing, Hinton later turned himself in to the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station.

He has already been convicted of robbery and theft on November 8, 2020, when violence occurred at Gus Jr. Restaurant at 497 E. 4th Street in Perris.

Hinton allegedly stabbed a cook at the establishment after stealing money from the business. One charge of assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault and one charge of aggravated battery were dismissed, and one charge of assault was struck out.

Instead, Hinton pleaded guilty and was found guilty on one count each of aggravated robbery and petty theft in the case. He was sentenced to five years in prison and released on parole earlier this year.

Relatives of Morales launched a GoFundMe campaign to benefit the victims’ adult children to cover funeral expenses.

“She was kind, generous and loving to everyone she met,” the GoFundMe page says of Morales. “She always put people before herself. Although it hurts, we now have a beautiful angel watching over our family.”

As of Friday afternoon, the site had raised nearly $29,000.