Man pleads not guilty to being accessory to Desert Hot Springs murder

A man already facing charges of shooting at a Desert Hot Springs police officer pleaded not guilty today to accessory charges in connection with the December shotgun slaying of a man who was gunned down at the site of an alleged illegal gambling operation.

Raymond Villegas Jr., 26, is accused of assisting James Angle, 43, in the Dec. 11, 2018, shooting of Joseph Gimino in the 66500 block of Pierson Boulevard.

Gimino was hospitalized with what was initially believed to be a non-life threatening shotgun wound to his right arm, but died three days later due to unspecified “complications,” according to an arrest warrant declaration.

Court documents state that a Desert Hot Springs detective interviewed Gimino in the hospital, during which the victim said he sold Angle a generator. Angle later allegedly claimed that Gimino originally stole the generator from him, then resold it to him, and demanded that Gimino refund his money,
according to the declaration.

Watch: Police investigate late night shooting

Angle later confronted Gimino outside a Pierson Boulevard business and was captured on surveillance footage slashing the tires on Gimino’s vehicle, the declaration alleges. Gimino is then seen exiting the business and chasing Angle with a firearm, after which Angle runs toward the “passenger side of an awaiting nearby vehicle,” according to the declaration. Gimino was shot seconds later and the car sped away.

Villegas was allegedly inside the business when the shooting occurred.

The declaration states that “seconds after the shooting,” Villegas was seen on surveillance footage exiting the business and picking up Gimino’s gun as the victim was laying in the street. He then allegedly got into the car in which Angle fled, and they drove off.

Details on the alleged gambling operation have not been disclosed.

Villegas has been in custody since Dec. 22 for allegedly firing at a Desert Hot Springs officer who spotted him in a vehicle “thought to be involved in a homicide,” Sgt. Phil Weigle said.

The shooting triggered a pursuit that ended with Villegas crashing his vehicle in the desert south of Two Bunch Palms Trail and West Drive, then fled, according to the sergeant.

Villegas was captured the following day elsewhere in the city, and subsequently was charged with attempted murder on a peace officer, evading arrest and weapons possession.

Angle, who is charged with murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, was arrested Jan. 10 on Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage, according to county jail records.

Both men are due back in court Feb. 5 for a felony settlement conference.