Man Says He Did Not Kill His Girlfriend

An Oxnard man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and weapons charges.

Harold Marshall, 31, was arraigned in Ventura County Superior Court. He denied charges that he fired a single gunshot into the head of Imelda Mata, 22, of Port Hueneme.

Marshall is charged with murder and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Simon said the relationship between Marshall and Mata at the time of the shooting and the motive for the shooting remain unclear.

“There is still a lot of investigation being done,” Simon said. “We’re just trying to piece everything together.”

Mata was shot in July while sitting with Marshall in a 1991 Chevy Camaro in the 3000 block of Bunsen Avenue, near the Buenaventura Golf Course, Ventura police said.

Witnesses told police a man ran from the car after it hit an abandoned van. When police arrived, they found Mata, the mother of a 3-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter, dead in the passenger seat. A gun was found near the scene.

Police arrested Marshall in September after receiving a tip that he was at friend’s house in Oxnard.

Court records show that Marshall had pleaded guilty to domestic violence in 1993 and served a year in Ventura County Jail.

He was later convicted of battery and served six months in jail.

A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 5. Marshall remains jailed in lieu of $750,000 bail.