Not-Guilty Plea in Neighbor’s Death

A 27-year-old Simi Valley man pleaded not guilty Monday to fatally shooting his next-door neighbor and denied a special allegation of using a firearm during the fight.

Standing next to his attorney in a blue jail outfit with his long hair in a ponytail, Christopher Charles Harbridge entered his plea as the brothers of his alleged victim looked on.

Harbridge, a former Moorpark College student, is accused of killing Ron Tracy Rowe on Dec. 5 after a shouting match on Rowe’s front lawn.

Rowe, a 30-year-old construction worker, was taken to a Simi Valley hospital and pronounced dead of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Former schoolmates at Simi Valley High, Harbridge and Rowe had been engaged in a long-standing feud, according to authorities.

The two men fought frequently, and according to the defendant’s father, John Harbridge, Harbridge eventually bought a gun to protect himself. Last week, Harbridge said his son shot Rowe in self-defense, alleging Rowe attacked him with pepper spray.

Rowe’s two brothers have declined to respond to that allegation.

On Monday, they sat in the front row of the courtroom and watched as Harbridge briefly discussed his case with his attorney.

Harbridge’s case is set for preliminary examination on Jan. 8.