CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — A 30-year-old man pleaded not guilty to murder charges in an emotional court hearing Monday. The courtroom was packed with the victim's family and friends who cried as prosecutors detailed how their loved one was brutally attacked.
Noel Treviño, 30, appeared in court wearing a blue prison jumpsuit and entered his not guilty plea to charges for killing Wanda Taylor.
According to the District Attorney's Office, Treviño was posing as a salesperson with a clipboard and name tag when he first went to Taylor's home last Wednesday morning in National City. The two had a brief interaction before Treviño left.
About an hour later, prosecutors said Treviño returned and circled the home for more than an hour, checking through multiple locked doors.
When Taylor returned home from an errand, prosecutors say Treviño attacked her from behind in the driveway with a softball-sized rock, hitting her at least twice. They said he then grabbed two different kitchen knives from inside the home and killed her.
When Taylor's husband arrived home, he found Treviño still inside the ransacked house. Treviño was a stranger to the couple, and prosecutors say he had no apparent ties to San Diego.
After the hearing, Taylor's husband, Ernest Taylor, thanked the District Attorney and said he has faith in God that justice will prevail.
"She was a beautiful woman, I loved her dearly, we've been together for almost — we've been together for longer than 35 years — but we were married for 35 years, and this man needs to have justice on him, through the court system," said Taylor about his wife.
Treviño was denied bail and faces murder, burglary, and resisting arrest charges, with an added special circumstance of lying in wait. He is due back in court in early September.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
