Man Pleads Not Guilty in Killing Over Remark
A 5-year-old Antelope Valley man has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a man who insulted a woman friend, prosecutors said Wednesday.
David Wood was also charged with false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon and witness intimidation stemming from the killing of James Lloyd, 34, of Lancaster, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Daniel Damon.
Lloyd was killed Oct. 2, 1989, at a Palmdale home where Wood’s girlfriend and another woman lived, Damon said. Wood shot Lloyd once in the head after Lloyd “made a disparaging comment” about the woman who was not Wood’s girlfriend, Damon said.
After the shooting, Wood held both women at gunpoint in the house for 48 hours, threatening to harm them if they notified authorities, Damon said.
A warrant for Wood’s arrest was issued earlier this month, Damon said, adding that it was unclear why it took so long for a warrant to be issued.
A “very alert” patrol deputy who had had contact with Wood before recognized the name in the warrant and went to Wood’s brother’s house in Palmdale on Monday to arrest him.
Wood is scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 21.
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