$1-Million Bail Set for San Marcos Employee Accused of Killing Boss : Crime: Professional Care Products Inc. and co-workers have raised nearly $7,000 for the family of the victim.

As bail for a man accused of killing his supervisor was set at $1 million Friday, the company and co-workers of the victim raised nearly $7,000 to cover funeral expenses for the family.

Jose Luis Maldonado pleaded not guilty to murder charges during arraignment Friday in Vista Municipal Court. The 22-year-old factory worker from Oceanside allegedly gunned down Joan Lopez Rodriguez during a Wednesday morning coffee break at Professional Care Products Inc. in San Marcos.

In arguing for the steep bail, Deputy Dist. Atty. Greg Walden said that after Lopez fell, Maldonado turned and fired at another of his supervisors, Adrian Flores, but missed.

Maldonado then “delivered the final coup de grace” by walking up to Lopez’s prone body and firing “a single shot to the back of the head,” Walden said.

When arrested, Maldonado, who had allegedly brought the .22-caliber automatic handgun to work several times before, had an extra 20 rounds of ammunition in his pocket and another clip in his car, Walden said.

At one point after the shooting and before sheriff’s deputies arrived, Maldonado took time to reload, Walden said.

“The defendant’s last comments to the sheriffs were that he was glad he did it and he would do it again,” Walden told the judge.

The shooting was believed to have been the result of a grudge Maldonado held against his supervisors during his nine-month employment at the company, which manufactures orthopedic items such as knee braces, splints and collars.

Maldonado, dressed in prisoner blues, shook his head throughout Walden’s presentation.

His court-appointed attorney, public defender John Jimenez, argued for a “reasonable bail” of $50,000, saying Maldonado has lived in Oceanside for 18 years, that his parents are still in the area and that he has no prior criminal record.

“We’re not disputing the matter of the homicide, but he remained at the scene and was cooperative” with sheriff’s investigators, Jimenez said.

Meanwhile, Pro-Care officials said a collection netted $6,776 for Lopez’s family for funeral expenses, with the company contributing $3,000 and co-workers pledging the rest.

Lopez, who lived in Escondido and had been with Pro-Care for two years, is survived by his wife, Martha, and their 9-year-old twins, a boy and a girl.

The money is sorely needed by the family, which has been struck by tragedy repeatedly during the past year.

Three months ago, one of Lopez’s three brothers was killed in an accident, according to Jesse Valdivia, a friend of the family who attended Maldonado’s arraignment.

Before that, the home of Lopez’s mother burned to the ground in Tijuana. And a year ago, Lopez lost a sister to cancer, Valdivia said.

The family has no immediate plans, Valdivia said.

“First things first. Put Juan to rest and then take it from there,” he said. “These are strong people. They keep getting knocked down, and they get up again.

“Juan didn’t have one enemy. Except this one guy, I don’t think he had an enemy in the world,” Valdivia said.

Lopez will be buried in Tijuana, where his extended family lives, Valdivia said.