Two 18-year-olds plead not guilty to fatally shooting El Cajon man

EL CAJON (CNS) – Two 18-year-olds accused in the fatal shooting of a man in an El Cajon apartment during what police believe was a drug-related robbery pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and robbery charges.

Paul Julian Sosa III and Homero Viscarroa Palomino were each ordered held on $2 million bail.

They were arrested Thursday in connection with the Sept. 18 murder of John Francis.

Officers responding to a 911 call to an apartment on Broadway near North Third Street found Francis with a gunshot wound, but he died before he could be taken to a hospital.

El Cajon police said there didn’t appear to be a prior relationship between the defendants and the victim. Investigators believe Francis was a robbery victim, targeted for marijuana found in his possession.

Sosa and Palomino each faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney Valerie Ryan. They will be back in court Nov. 5 for a readiness conference and Nov. 10 for a preliminary hearing.