Three plead not guilty to murder in snatched necklace case
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1 of 3By Henry A. Barrios / The Bakersfield Californian
Three men, Maxamillion McDonald, foreground, Lawrence Slaughter, back, and Christopher Patterson (not pictured) are arraigned on charges including the murder of 71-year-old Guadalupe Ramos outside a Foods Co.
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2 of 3By Henry A. Barrios / The Bakersfield Californian
Christopher Patterson was one of three men including Maxamillion McDonald, Lawrence Slaughter, not pictured, who were arraigned on charges including murder of 71-year-old Guadalupe Ramos outside a Foods Co.
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3 of 3By Henry A. Barrios / The Bakersfield Californian
Angelica Ramos, daughter of 71-year-old victim Guadalupe Ramos, reacts emotionally as she is asked by news media what it felt like to see the three men, Maxamillion McDonald, Lawrence Slaughter and Christopher Patterson arraigned on charges including the murder of her mother outside a Foods Co.
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BY JASON KOTOWSKI Californian staff writer jkotowski@bakersfield.com
Tracking the movement of the suspects in a robbery outside a Foods Co. that killed an elderly woman didn't prove too difficult once police identified one of the men as Lawrence Slaughter.
The 28-year-old was on parole and wearing an ankle monitor, which gave a precise reading of his whereabouts the night of the robbery, tracking him from the Foods Co. to a gas station and clothing store and finally to an apartment in the 900 block of Feliz Drive, according to a probable cause statement filed in court by Bakersfield police. Surveillance footage confirmed all three suspects were together at the various locations.
The suspects were together again Thursday, this time in shackles as they pleaded not guilty to charges including robbery and murder. Kern County Superior Court Judge Charles R. Brehmer ordered Maxamillion Lee McDonald, Lawrence Gregory Slaughter and Christopher Harvell Patterson held without bail and scheduled a pre-preliminary hearing for Sept. 19.
Each of the defendants has a lengthy criminal record. Prosecutor Cynthia Zimmer said they're members of the East Side Crips.
Zimmer said Patterson, the suspect accused of actually ripping a gold necklace from the victim's neck, is an AB 109 probationer. She said she wasn't sure if he was released from custody early under the legislation.
AB 109 shifted offenders convicted of non-serious, non-violent and non-sexual crimes from state to county supervision. Many have been released early.
Angelica Ramos, daughter of 71-year-old victim Guadalupe Ramos, was in the courthouse Thursday. She said she was "furious, angry, upset my mom had to die in this manner."
Angelica Ramos described her mother as a kindhearted woman who would help anyone. Angelica said she felt some satisfaction knowing all the suspect are now in custody.
Police said Patterson, 19, grabbed Guadalupe Ramos' gold necklace as she left the Foods Co. market on Haley Street on Aug. 19. Ramos fell to the ground and died of cardiac arrest due to an irregular heartbeat brought about by blunt force trauma.
McDonald was arrested soon after the crime and charged with another robbery while police continued with the murder investigation and identified and arrested the other suspects.
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