New details in Cabazon outlet murder, teen pleads not guilty

A teenager accused of gunning down a Palm Springs man in an attempted robbery at the outlets in Cabazon was in front of a judge in court Monday.

Reginald Trice, 18, pleaded not guilty to all counts, denying all allegations of his involvement in the killing. Trice's relatives and attorney declined to comment.

66-year-old Michael Moser, a Palm Springs resident, was shot and killed on March 24 at the Desert Hills Premium Outlet Stores in Cabazon, police said.

Trice was arrested in Victorville late last month in connection. Along with murder, Trice is charged with an attempted robbery and sentence enhancing gun and injury allegations. The judge Monday changed his bail from $1 million to no bail.

According to newly filed court documents obtained by News Channel 3, Moser was followed on foot from outside the outlets in Cabazon to inside a public restroom. There, the documents say, he was held up at gunpoint while his assailants tried to rob him.

Two other men were taken into custody in connection, too – 19-year-old twin brothers Elijah Ray Burt and Emmanuel Rick Burt, arrested two weeks ago in Clark County, Nevada.

Loved ones say Moser was big in the luxury industry. He retired late last year from his position of nearly a decade as vice president of jeweler Harry Winston.

Chris Gialanella was Moser's close business friend. He said Moser was at the outlets to charge his car and get a coffee on his way back to the desert from Los Angeles.

"Everybody wants to know what happened," Gialanella said. "I think we all want closure. We all want to know: how did his life end? And what brought him to this place?" 

Trice is due back in court in Banning for a felony settlement conference on June 24.

The Burt twins remain in custody in Nevada awaiting extradition. They are both expected in front of a judge on May 28.