A Year After Death Discovery In The Farm, Wildomar Man Pleads Not Guilty To Murder

WILDOMAR, CA — A 52-year-old man accused of killing a Wildomar senior pleaded not guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder and other charges.

John Tyler Scott, also known as "Justin Scott Tyler," of Wildomar allegedly killed 74-year-old Bonnie Thompson last year.

Along with murder, Scott is charged with elder abuse and a sentence-enhancing allegation of inflicting injuries to a person over 70 years old.

He was arraigned Tuesday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Judith Clark, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Feb. 25 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

Scott is being held without bail at the nearby Byrd Detention Center.

According to Sgt. Carlos Mendoza of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the Central Homicide Unit began investigating Thompson's death in July 2025.

Mendoza said patrol deputies were called to her residence in the 33000 block of Hidden Willow Drive, near Bundy Canyon Road, in The Farm residential community, on the afternoon of July 27 to investigate suspicious circumstances.

The victim had been dead for days, and unspecified "factors" pointed to foul play, according to court documents and the sergeant.

Her exact cause of death was not disclosed.

Over the ensuing months, detectives gathered sufficient evidence to obtain an arrest warrant, which was served on Scott in the area of Harvest Way and Bundy Canyon earlier this month.

He was taken into custody without incident.

The relationship between the defendant and victim was not specified, and a possible motive wasn't disclosed.

Scott has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.