A man accused of fatally shooting two young people inside a Southern California movie theater last July has pleaded not guilty, and not guilty by reason of insanity, to two counts of murder.
Joseph Jimenez, 20, did not speak during Monday’s hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice, letting his attorney enter the pleas, the Press-Enterprise reported.
The two different not-guilty pleas were necessary, said John Hall, a spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, because there would be two phases if the case goes to trial: a guilt phase, and a phase to determine whether Jimenez was insane.
Attorneys are scheduled to return to court on October 22 to discuss an appointment of a defense psychiatrist, the newspaper said.
TikTok star Anthony Barajas, 19, and his girlfriend Rylee Goodrich, 18, were shot in the head on July 26 at a theater at the Regal Edwards cinema in the city of Corona, California.
They were found by an employee after a 9.35pm screening of The Forever Purge.
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Joseph Jimenez, 20, blamed voices in his head that he said had tormented him for months after he pleaded not guilty by insanity for fatally shooting two people at a Southern California movie theater last July
Police have said the suspect acted alone, and there's no indication he knew the victims or that Barajas's role as a TikTok influencer played a role in the crime. Pictured in court today
Rylee Goodrich, 18, (left) and Anthony Barajas, 19, (right) were shot in the head while watching The Forever Purge at a nearly empty Corona, California, theater July 26. They were found by an employee after 9.35pm screening. Pictured: Goodrich, a marketing major, who died at the scene
Goodrich died at the scene, while Barajas, a budding social media star, died at a hospital five days later after being put on life support.
Barajas, known online as itsanthonymichael, had nearly 1 million followers on TikTok and more on other platforms.
The suspect acted alone, and there was no indication he knew the victims or that Barajas’ role as a TikTok influencer played a role in the crime, police said shortly after the shooting.
Rather, Jimenez is blaming voices in his head that he said had tormented him for months in an interview with the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
'The voices said my friends and family were going to be killed,' Jimenez said last month at a Riverside County jail in Banning, where he is being held.
Jimenez did not elaborate how killing people would save his loved ones.
Instead, he said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia
