Felon accused of gunning down man on Morongo Reservation arraigned

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) - A convicted felon accused of gunning down a 50-year-old man in a drive-by attack on the edge of the Morongo Indian Reservation northeast of Banning pleaded not guilty today to first-degree murder and other charges.

Robert Eugene Leonard, 43, of Beaumont, was arrested last month following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation into the slaying of Orlando Lara of Banning.

Along with murder, Leonard is charged with being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm, being in possession of controlled substances while armed, a special circumstance allegation of perpetrating a murder in a drive-by and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

He was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 6 at the Banning Justice Center.   

The defendant is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.    Lara's remains were discovered by passers-by shortly before 11 p.m. on June 25 in the 47000 block of Morongo Road, near Cottonwood Road, along the upper boundary of the reservation, according to sheriff's Sgt. Alberto Loureiro.  

"Upon arrival, deputies found the male with a traumatic injury,'' Loureiro said, confirming there were "obvious signs'' the victim had been shot to death.

The likely circumstances and motive were not disclosed.   

Within two days, Central Homicide Unit detectives gathered sufficient evidence pointing to Leonard as the alleged shooter.   

He was tracked to a residence on the reservation, where he was taken into custody without incident on June 27.   

Court records did not list Leonard's prior convictions, which occurred in another jurisdiction.