Man Pleads Not Guilty To Murder In Pregnant Teen's Bay Park Killing

SAN DIEGO, CA — A man accused of ambushing and fatally shooting his pregnant, 17-year-old ex-girlfriend in Bay Park last weekend pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of murder, attempted murder and possession of a machine gun.

Trevon Williams, 21, is accused in last Saturday's slaying outside an Airbnb on Gardena Avenue that left the teen dead and her child hospitalized in critical condition. Family members have identified the victim as Jariah Edwards.

Prosecutors, who confirmed Wednesday that Williams is the child's father, allege that after learning the victim was on a family trip in San Diego, he ordered a Lyft ride from his home state of Arizona to the residence where she was staying, lured her outside, then shot her in the head.

If convicted of all charges and allegations, which includes a special circumstances allegation of lying in wait, he faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, should prosecutors pursue capital punishment.

The attempted murder charge pertains to Edwards' child, who was delivered through an emergency cesarean section at 32 weeks "with minimal brain activity as a result of loss of oxygen the child endured while being inside its dead mother," Deputy District Attorney Alexandra Lorens said Wednesday at Williams' arraignment.

According to the prosecutor, Edwards and Williams began dating last fall, but she was not speaking to Williams and had blocked his phone number at the time of her slaying due to domestic violence and threats she experienced at his hands.

Lorens said some of the girl's family members had witnessed some of those alleged incidents of domestic violence and were in the process of seeking a restraining order against Williams, but were waiting to move from their residence first so he would not know where they lived.

After learning she was in San Diego, Williams booked a Lyft ride to California and though the Lyft destination was the Airbnb where Edwards and her family were staying, Williams asked the driver to drop him off "several houses down," Lorens said.

He then allegedly hid near the side of the house and had a DoorDash order of flowers sent to the Airbnb. The girl initially came outside with a family member and Williams did not attack her at this time, Lorens said.

After the teen went back into the house, Williams then allegedly arranged another DoorDash order of a vase and this time Edwards emerged from the house alone.

The prosecutor said that when the victim was alone, Williams shot her, fled the scene, changed his clothes, and hid in a nearby canyon.

He then made an audio recording to someone else in which he said, "I shot this (expletive) in the face. On God, I shot this (expletive) dead," the prosecutor alleged.

He was arrested just under two hours after the shooting near 4900 September St. and was found in possession of a gun, according to San Diego police.

Williams is in custody without bail, though a bail review hearing was scheduled for next week to revisit his custodial status.

A GoFundMe page created in support of Edwards' family says she was "a bright, loving young woman who was just 17 years old and preparing to welcome her first child, a baby girl."

The page says the girl's death "has left a hole in the hearts of her mother, sister, family, friends, and most importantly, her newborn baby girl, who is now fighting for her life."

The page can be viewed at gofundme.com/f/support-for-jariah-edwards- family-newborn.

— City News Service