Man Pleads Innocent in Beating Death

A 20-year-old Oxnard man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that he beat a teenager to death in a violent attack this summer that horrified a south Oxnard neighborhood.

Dressed in jailhouse blues, Donald William Brown Jr. quietly stood behind his court-appointed attorney and denied allegations that he murdered Jaime Morales, 17, a former gang member on the mend.

Morales was chased down by three men July 25 in an alley near N and Hill streets, where he was beaten to death. The loud brawl alarmed nearby residents, who found the youth lying in the street.

Other suspects in the beating were arrested but not charged. A warrant for Brown’s arrest was issued Aug. 27 and he later turned himself in.

The slaying was the 12th homicide in Oxnard this year and one of a series of crimes that has triggered racial tensions. Morales’ assailants were reportedly black.

Two black teenagers were shot in an apparent retaliation crime at an Oxnard apartment complex a week after Morales’ memorial service.

Derrick Parks, 17, was struck in the back by a hollow point bullet that shattered his spine. Travon Miller, 17, was shot in the face but was not seriously injured.

Earlier this week, emotions surrounding the escalating crimes exploded in a Ventura County courtroom after Brown’s arraignment was postponed.

Friends and family of Morales yelled at Brown, who is black, as he was walked out of the courtroom. The shouting match continued in the hallway with Brown’s mother.

Members of the Morales family were not in court Wednesday during Brown’s arraignment. A preliminary hearing has been set for Oct. 2.