2 Suspects in Killing in Court for Robbery Case

Two suspects in the shooting death of a West Covina engineer, who was killed as he saw his family off on a Hawaiian vacation, pleaded not guilty Thursday to armed robbery charges in connection with an unrelated incident, authorities said.

Paul Watkins, 21, and Lucian Martin, 18, both of Los Angeles, appeared Thursday in South Bay Municipal Court. They were being held in lieu of $75,000 bail each at the Los Angeles County Jail, said Gardena Police Lt. Jeffrey J. Finley. They were arrested Tuesday in connection with an armed robbery of a Gardena market.

Authorities also have described them as suspects in the slaying of Raymond Garrett Shield early Tuesday morning in front of a Holiday Inn as his wife, daughter and two grandchildren looked on. The two suspects have previous criminal records and were paroled earlier this year.