SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A man who allegedly gunned down a couple in the Grant Hill neighborhood pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder charges, while his girlfriend pleaded not guilty to being an accessory for allegedly driving him out of the country shortly after the killings.
Ramses "Rex" Morales, 21, and his girlfriend, 25-year-old Princess Garcia Perez, were arrested at the San Ysidro Port of Entry shortly after 10 a.m. Monday for the shooting deaths of Ruben Chavez, 31, and Evelyn Virgen, 28, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Chavez and Virgen were found shot just before 12:30 a.m. earlier that day in the 100 block of 27th Street. Police said the victims were found lying in the roadway, while in a nearby parked vehicle, three of Virgen's children -- all around the age of 2 or younger -- were physically unharmed.
Police said that Chavez and Perez previously dated and that the victims had "been involved in an ongoing dispute" with Morales and Perez, but did not elaborate on the nature of that dispute.
Along with the murder charges, Morales faces three counts of child endangerment in connection with Virgen's children and special circumstance allegations that could make him eligible for the death penalty, should prosecutors pursue capital punishment.
Those special circumstance allegations include one for committing multiple murders and another for the killing of a witness, which Doyle said pertained to Virgen. It was unclear what exactly Virgen is alleged to have witnessed.
After the killings -- which Deputy District Attorney Martin Doyle said were committed with a shotgun -- the prosecutor said Perez helped Morales flee the crime scene "after he slaughtered both victims" and took him across the border, where she has family.
Doyle said investigators were still looking into why Morales and Perez tried to re-enter the United States later that day.
Both defendants remain in jail without bail following Thursday's arraignment.
