Six teens accused of beating a homeless man to death and injuring another are being held on $1 million each.
Prosecutors say the group got into an argument with two homeless men riding their bikes on Mission Gorge Road Saturday evening under State Route 52.
The teens first attacked Edward Allen, but his friend Stephen Hissom, 55, quickly came to Allen's defense, according to Deputy District Attorney Liz Rodriguez.
The suspects then turned their aggression toward him, beating Hissom to death, Rodriguez said.
"All six defendants in this case actively participated in either punching or kicking both victims including the deceased. We do believe two of the defendants were primary aggressors," Rodriguez told NBC 7.
At their Wednesday arraignments, all defendants pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. One minor, Cheyenne Maloof, is being charged as an adult.
Daniel Swan III, 19, and Tyler Dare, 19, are accused of being those aggressors. The other accused teens include Maloof, 16; Cassidy Rowin, 18; Brian Kish, 18; and Sarah Baillie, 18.
"I was totally blown away to read about five or six young people actually beating to death a human being," said Jean Emmons, who often hikes along the path where Hissom was killed.
Deputies have not released a motive and could not say if alcohol, drugs or gangs were involved.
The teens face 25 years to life in prison for the murder charge and up to four years for the assault charge. Their next scheduled court appearance is Dec. 16 for a preliminary hearing.
