A pair of San Diego men, both teenagers, are both being held in the downtown jail, accused of killing a homeless woman back in the spring.
Sixty-eight-year-old Annette Pershal, who is believed to be homeless at the time, was unresponsive when neighborhood policing officers found her a little after 6 a.m. on May 8 near 3300 Sandrock Road in Serra Mesa, about a quarter-mile from the Montgomery Field airport. Paramedics were called out, but they, too, were unable to get her to respond to treatment, so she was taken to a nearby hospital, where ER doctors discovered she had been shot repeatedly with a pellet gun and would likely die.
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Three days after she was found, Pershal did, indeed, die.
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After being alerted about Pershal's injuries by the care providers on May 8, homicide detectives began investigating the incident, which took place in a busy neighborhood with many commercial businesses, a post office and several restaurants.
On July 31, the medical examiner informed detectives that Pershal's death was going to be ruled a homicide. A few days later, on Wednesday morning, police arrested Ryan Hopkins, 19, at his home on Rebecca Avenue in Serra Mesa. At roughly the same time, in Tierrasanta, 18-year-old William Innes was also taken into custody by police where he lives, on Edge Park Way.
Both men have been charged with first degree murder in the case; in addition, Innes faces one count of possession of an assault weapon, also a felony.
Police have not divulged if they determined a motive for the killing but, on Thursday morning, confirmed to NBC 7 that "the medical examiner determined that being shot with a pellet gun is the cause of her death."
"No known relationship between the suspects and victim," SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell told NBC 7 as well.
Hopkins and Innes, who are both being held without bail, are due in court in downtown San Diego on Monday afternoon.
Anybody with information about Pershal's death is being urged to call homicide detectives at (619) 531-2293. Tips can also be called in anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
