Desert parolee pleads not guilty to murdering girlfriend

A parolee accused of shooting his girlfriend and leaving her body in a car that was abandoned on a Perris roadway pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and other charges.

Martin Jason Estrada, 41, of Desert Hot Springs was arrested in February following a Riverside County sheriff’s investigation into the slaying last fall of 45-year-old Rachel Davis of Banning.

Along with the murder count, Estrada is charged with sentence-enhancing allegations of causing great bodily injury with a firearm and committing a felony within five years of being released from prison.

He was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Richard Fields, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for May 19 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Estrada is being held in lieu of $1.2 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

Davis’ body was found in a car parked along the shoulder of the 1300 block of Metz Road last Nov. 6. She had been shot in the head.

According to sheriff’s Sgt. Wally Clear, detectives soon developed leads pointing to Estrada as the prime suspect, though further details regarding the circumstances behind the killing were not disclosed.

The defendant, who had several outstanding arrest warrants in unrelated cases, could not be found for several months.

As the investigation progressed, detectives learned that the ex-con was staying in the Coachella Valley, eventually narrowing down his location to a residence on Prospect Street in Desert Hot Springs, Clear said.

Deputies served a warrant at the house and took Estrada into custody without incident.

According to court records, the defendant is a three-strike felon, but his prior offenses were not detailed.