Man Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal Holdup

A Los Angeles man pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he gunned down an armored car guard during a robbery at a Home Depot store in San Fernando last week.

Informants identified Sean Slade, 25, as a suspect and witnesses identified him as the gunman who shot Edwin Maldonado in the back of the head, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said. Two accomplices are being sought.

Slade faces the death penalty if convicted of murder in the course of a robbery and while lying in wait, Deputy Dist. Atty. Cindy Ulfig said. He also is charged with robbery, assault with a firearm and burglary.

Maldonado, 26, of Pasadena, where he had formerly served as a police officer, was shot July 20 as he came out of the office in the crowded hardware store after picking up $40,000 in cash and $45,000 in checks. Three robbers escaped through a rear door with a bag containing the money and checks.

“They were lying in wait for him,” Ulfig said. “He didn’t have a chance.”

Slade, who is unemployed and lives in Los Angeles, entered his plea in San Fernando Municipal Court. He was held without bail pending a preliminary hearing set for Aug. 11.

The slaying of Maldonado prompted his employer, Sectran Security Transportation, and the Home Depot chain to offer a $35,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the killer.

At least two anonymous informants provided Slade’s name to investigators, she said. Deputies arrested Slade on Wednesday outside a downtown Wells Fargo bank branch where his wife works, Ulfig said.

None of the money has been recovered, Ulfig said.