A man charged with killing and encasing an 80-year-old man in concrete was arraigned Monday.
Thomas Brooks, 39, pleaded not guilty to murder in connection with the case. Brooks also faces a special-circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain, which gives prosecutors the option of seeking his execution if he is convicted.
He was being held on $3 million bail.
According to police, Brooks is accused of killing Edward Clayton Andrews, 80, of Riverside, then encasing his remains in concrete. The concrete was then placed in a North Park back yard in the 3400 block of Alabama Street.
Homicide detectives found Andrews' body wrapped in plastic and encased in a concrete shell. Asphyxiation was ruled to be the cause of death.
Police allege Brooks withdrew almost $92,000 from the victim's bank account after he went missing.
