A man accused of shooting and killing three people, including a toddler, in Normal Heights in 2000 was in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing.
Sergio Lopez Contreras, who is now 45 years old, was booked into San Diego Central Jail in March of this year. He was arrested in unrelated charges in Mexico, then extradited to San Diego for this case.
Contreras faces three counts of murder for the death of 27-year-old Michael Plummer; as well as Plummer’s 18-year-old girlfriend, Adah Pearson; and nephew 22-month-old Julio Rangel.
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The shooting took place inside Plummer’s apartment on the 4500 block of Bancroft Street, according to San Diego Police Department Lt. Jud Campbell.
During the preliminary hearing on Wednesday, a handful of witnesses were questioned by the defense and prosecution. One of them, Vanessa Madrid, told the court she was a neighbor of Plummer's.
Madrid said she knew a man named "Sergio" at the time, and had only met him a few days before the shooting. When asked if the Sergio she knew may have been Contreras, who was sitting in court for the hearing, she said he looked different. The prosecutor followed up and asked if this could be because of his age, and she agreed.
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Madrid also testified that she was with Sergio the day of the shooting and knew he appeared to be angry with Plummer.
“I remember him asking me to go knock on [Plummer's] door and tell him he wanted to talk to him, and that’s what I did, then I left to my mom’s house,” Madrid said.
The prosecutor followed up by asking her why Sergio wanted to talk with Plummer, and she replied, “Yes, because Mike owed him money, I think.” When she was asked what the money was for, she told the court that it was $20 or $30 for methamphetamine. Madrid said repeatedly that she wanted to just pay it herself, but Sergio wouldn’t allow it. She also added that Plummer seemed to laugh the request off.
Madrid claimed to not have been at the apartment complex when the shooting occurred after her interaction with Plummer, and she had difficulty remembering the details on how many gunshots she heard. However, she did describe hearing “bang noises.”
The Chief Medical Examiner for the County of San Diego, Steven Campman M.D., confirmed that Plummer, Pearson and Rangel were all killed by gunshot wounds. He added that Plummer was shot roughly a dozen times.
Madrid did not recall if she saw or spoke with Sergio after the shooting, but she said she remembered asking police to drive her to her mom’s home nearby after speaking with them at the crime scene because she was scared that Sergio would hurt her.
When asked why, Madrid said it was because she assumed he killed three people.
During the hearing, Contreras seemed interested in what was being presented and did not appear emotional. He looked directly at witnesses and at items presented on the screen.
Contreras is being held without bail. The preliminary hearing will continue on Thursday.
