Man accused in fatal Palm Springs shooting re-enters not guilty plea to murder
A 43-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a man in the head several times in Palm Springs re-entered a not guilty plea today to a murder charge.
Jeffrey Burgess of Sky Valley is charged with one felony count of murder for the June 22, 2021, killing of 44-year-old Jose Sosa of Coachella and faces a sentence-enhancing allegation of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury, according to court records.
He re-entered a not guilty plea to the charge and denied the allegation Tuesday morning during a post-preliminary hearing arraignment at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, according to court records. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charge and denied the allegation on June 25, 2021.
During a preliminary hearing, Palm Springs Police Department Officer Matthew Olson testified that he questioned Burgess the night of the fatal shooting.
When asked what happened, Burgess said he got a notification from his surveillance camera and saw a shirtless man outside of his house spraying his camera with a garden hose, Olson said. So he got in his vehicle and drove from Sky Valley to the Palm Springs home to look for the man.
Burgess found him in front of another residence and yelled "What the (expletive) are you doing on my property?" in an attempt to scare him off, Olson said. The man then threw four rocks at Burgess, prompting Burgess to go to his car, grab a handgun from under the driver's seat and a magazine with bullets from his trunk.
"(Burgess) said that the male threw another rock at him and that Mr. Burgess attempted to detain him and that a struggle ensued ... then, he said he shot the individual, but was surprised at first because he thought they were warning shots,'' Olson testified. "He stated that he was not sure where he was
aiming but he knew he had a good backdrop and knew he wouldn't hit any bystanders standing behind the male."
Olson said that when he responded to the scene, Burgess waved him down and directed him to Sosa, who sustained several gunshot wounds to his head, lying on the ground.
"He had brain matter coming out of his head," Olson said. "On the north side of the street, (Burgess) had several items within five feet from him on the floor. From what I remember, he had the upper receiver to a rifle with a flashlight attached to it, there was a folding knife that was open and a cell phone."
According to the Palm Springs Police Department, Burgess called 911 and "reported being involved in a shooting" at the location. He was detained and questioned, and later taken into custody. No one else was injured.
Burgess is free on bail. He has no documented felony convictions in Riverside County.
