A San Diego man who pleaded guilty to his role in the death of a homeless woman known in the Serra Mesa neighborhood as "Granny Annie," who was shot by a pellet gun, was sentenced Friday.
Ryan Hopkins was driving William Innes, the man who allegedly shot the 68-year-old woman sleeping on the street after texting a group chat he was going “hobo hunting.”
Vikas Bajaj, Hopkins’ defense attorney, condemned the shooting.
“Shooting at someone who is sleeping on the ground in a helpless, vulnerable state?” he asked. “That's disgusting.”
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The shooting happened in early May.
The victim, Annette Pershal, better known in the neighborhood as “Granny Annie,” was sleeping on the ground beside a coffee shop when Hopkins drove Innes to the area and Innes allegedly shot Pershal in her head, leg and torso with a pellet gun. One pellet ruptured her aorta.
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She died three days later.
“I want to take a second to say I’m sorry to all you guys and the pain you have to go through,” Hopkins, 19, said to Pershal's family in the courtroom. “I’m sorry we’re all here today.”
Hopkins pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting assault with a deadly weapon.
Bajaj said Hopkins was trying to connect to the car’s Bluetooth and then all he heard was “watch this” before Innes allegedly opened fire on Pershal. Bajaj said his client didn’t know Innes’ intentions when he got in the car.
The prosecution said Hopkins pleading guilty means he did know.
“He drove himself and his codefendant across the street, stopped right before Ms. Pershal who was shot, suffering, and they watched 15 to 20 seconds to see if they hit their target,” she said.
Innes is charged with first-degree murder and is waiting for his trial readiness hearing later this month.
