Felon Accused of Killing RivCo Woman, Wounding Man Arraigned

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A convicted felon accused of fatally shooting his aunt and seriously wounding an acquaintance during a dispute at a family banquet in Riverside pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder and other charges.

Abraham David Bonilla, 37, was arrested immediately after the attack last month at the Elks Lodge on Brockton Avenue. Beatrice Romo, 39, of Beaumont was killed, and her friend, identified in court documents only as "Tommy," suffered a gunshot to the upper body but survived.

Bonilla is charged with murder, attempted murder, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge David Gunn, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 3 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

The defendant is being held on $2 million bond at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

According to Riverside police, the attack happened about 7 p.m. on June 30 during a leased family event at the Elks Lodge.

Investigators said Bonilla was among attendees at the affair, and for hours, nothing was out of order. However, according to Sgt. Mike Crawford, an argument erupted between Bonilla and a number of others, at which point he allegedly brandished a .380 semiautomatic handgun in front of several partygoers, then opened fire.

Romo and Tommy were struck, though investigators said it was unclear if the defendant intended to shoot his aunt. Bonilla fled the location after the attack, Crawford said.

He said relatives loaded both victims into separate cars and rushed them to Riverside Community Hospital moments before police converged on the scene.

A few minutes later, officers learned that a man matching the alleged shooter's description had been involved in a crash in the area of Fremont Street and Jurupa Avenue and was receiving treatment from paramedics. Patrolmen went to the location and arrested Bonilla without a struggle, according to Crawford.

Romo died during surgery less than two hours later. Tommy also underwent surgery and is now recovering at home, police said.

Court records show that Bonilla has prior convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and gang activity.

A GoFundMe for Romo's loved ones was established after the shooting. Click here if you would like to donate.

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— By City News Service / GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner / Image via GoFundMe