The man accused of stabbing a 65-year-old Walmart clerk to death in Lake Elsinore pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder on Friday.
In addition to murder, 29-year-old Lonnie Hinton is also charged with lying in wait under special circumstances, the aggravated charge of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime and probation violations.
Early in the morning of August 5, Hinton allegedly confronted Jessica Morales at the Supercenter, pulled out a knife and stabbed herapparently for no reason.
According to police, Hinton was only released from prison this year and is currently on parole.
“Homicide investigators believe this was a random shooting and that there was no interaction between Hinton and the victim prior to the murder,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Police said that before investigators could begin their search for the defendant, Hinton went to the Lake Elsinore sheriff’s station a few hours after the alleged attack and turned himself in without incident.
Court records show that Hinton has previous convictions for robbery, theft and burglary. Hinton is being held without bail
Relatives of Morales started a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of her three adult children to help with memorial costs. “She was kind, generous and loving to everyone she met,” the campaign’s website states.
