An 18-year-old Palos Verdes High School student who was freed from jail on $5 million bail and returned to classes — sparking outrage among some parents — pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a gang-related killing in South Los Angeles.
Superior Court Judge Mark Hanasono ordered Cameron Terrell to return to a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Jan. 9, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial in connection with the Oct. 1 shooting death of Justin Holmes.
The 21-year-old man was gunned down on 78th Street near Western Avenue, police said.
Terrell was arrested Oct. 12 along with two male juveniles, who are also facing charges. Investigators allege Terrell was the driver of a getaway vehicle.
Terrell is charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. The criminal complaint — which indicates Terrell is also known as “White Boy” — includes an allegation that the crimes were committed “for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal street gang.”
After being freed from custody a week after his arrest, Terrell returned to class at Palos Verdes Estates high school, prompting outrage from some parents who called him a danger to other students. About a half-dozen parents gathered at the school Nov. 13 to demand that he be suspended from classes.
Around noon that day, school officials told reporters that Terrell’s parents — identified by the Daily Breeze as media consulting firm president Donald Wayne Terrell and interior designer Debra Terrell — had agreed to pull their son out of classes and have him educated elsewhere.
Palos Verdes Unified School District Superintendent Don Austin said Terrell’s education would continue either at home or somewhere off school grounds.