The man arrested in the attack on a Morongo Basin family that left one man dead and two people with serious injuries last Tuesday (September 17) pled “not guilty” to one charge of murder, two charges of attempted murder, and several enhancements for causing great bodily injury and use of a deadly weapon in San Bernardino County Court yesterday morning (September 23).
Derick Laija, a 34 year-old resident of Ontario, CA, was arrested on Tuesday night after the Abraham family was attacked at their home in the 3300 block of Bluegrass Ave, just outside of Twentynine Palms.
The Sheriff’s Department reports that Laija, who was staying in a vacation rental near the Abraham household, was staying at a nearby short-term vacation rental and believed to be under the influence of controlled substances when he went on to the family’s property and attempted to steal their car. The Sheriff’s Department says that Laija assaulted three members of the family with a baseball bat, leaving Hadgu Abraham, 63, dead. Hadgu’s 61 year-old wife and 31-year old son were taken to a hospital for treatment for their injuries.
