A husband and wife accused in the death of a woman who was flung to the ground while trying to hold onto the hood of a moving van in the Mountain View neighborhood pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder charges.
Cory Skellion, 27, and Brooklyn Broadway, 25, are charged in the death of the 32-year-old victim, identified in a criminal complaint as Angelica "Gel" Wuerth. San Diego police said Skellion and Broadway had previously rented a house from Wuerth.
The victim was found in the roadway just after 8 p.m. on Nov. 10. She was taken to a hospital, where she died the following day.
While the initial call to police reported that a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle, police said that upon further investigation, it was discovered that the victim was involved in a "confrontation" with Skellion and Broadway near Jamul Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard just before she sustained her fatal injuries.
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According to SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell, the victim was first bumped by a van Skellion was driving. Then with the victim grabbing onto the hood, the van drove with her atop the vehicle, and she was eventually slung from the van, the lieutenant said.
Skellion and Broadway were arrested on Nov. 15. Skellion was arrested on suspicion of murder while Broadway was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory, but prosecutors charged both with murder. Both defendants remain in county jail and are being held without bail, though a hearing has been scheduled for Friday morning to re-examine their bail status.
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Defense attorneys for both Skellion and Broadway said their clients are a newly married couple originally from the South who are relatively new to San Diego.
Alicia Freeze, one of the attorneys representing Skellion, said her client was working at Marine Corps Recruit Depot at the time. Broadway's attorney, Brandon Naidu, said she is a San Diego-based active-duty member of the Navy.
While a prosecutor and the attorneys declined to get into specific details regarding what led to the fatality, Freeze said it was a "very layered, very complicated situation" and that "this was months and months of issues between these parties."
The defense attorneys said the criminal case and charges have been a shock to family members.
"These kids have never been in trouble before," said Freeze, who noted both Skellion and Broadway have no prior criminal history.
Naidu said, "This is not a typical case. These are not typical defendants and we're going to be fighting very hard to demonstrate their innocence in this case."
A bail hearing for SKellion and Broadway is set for Dec. 1.
