The man charged with a deadly stabbing in Pismo Beach earlier this month entered a not guilty in court on Monday.
The incident left locals in Pismo Beach shaken.
“Shock, shock and disappointment, sadness, frustration," is how Anthony Teraboa, owner of Pismo Auto, described his feelings following the murder.
The victim, identified as Jonathan Perez, was well-known in the area.
"He was an overall good person," Teraboa said. "I think everybody in the whole town knows him and has nothing bad to say about him.”
Andrew Rodriguez of Santa Maria was charged with murder in connection with Perez’s death and is being held without bail.
His attorney, Ilan Funke-Bilu, told KSBY after Monday’s hearing that his client and the victim both worked at Guiseppe’s restaurant in Pismo Beach and were friends. Funke-Bilu added that there's still much to uncover in the case.
“As I told the court, there's a lot of discovery that still has not been provided," Funke-Bilu said. "The major piece, of course, is the autopsy. We need to know what the cause of death was.”
Weeks after Perez’s death, a memorial remains up outside his home in Pismo Beach as the community continues to grieve.
"It's just a sad memory," Teraboa said.
A GoFundMe to help Perez’s family cover funeral expenses has raised more than $30,000.
Giuseppe’s, where Perez worked, closed the day after his death to pay respects, though they declined to comment further.
