Vine Street murder suspects plead not guilty

STOCKTON — Two suspects charged with murdering a man on West Vine Street last year entered pleas of not guilty in court on Tuesday morning.

Kevin Etherton, 25, and Kenneth Vanderford, 51, both were in custody and appearing for their second arraignment at the San Joaquin County Courthouse in Stockton for the murder of 53-year-old Alan Karl Gregor Jr., which occurred on Sept. 25, 2016.

They were arrested on Jan. 12 by the Lodi Police Department. Both are also facing charges of arson and burglary.

On the day of the murder, Lodi Police and Fire departments were called out to a structure fire in the 1500 block of West Vine Street. Gregor was found dead inside the residence and an autopsy determined that he had been stabbed to death before the house caught fire.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Etherton’s counsel requested that he be released with pre-trial GPS ankle monitoring so he can return to work and be with his wife and children. Judge Seth Hoyt denied that request.

Etherton’s bail had been set at $1 million and based on the charges, Etherton should have been given no bail, according to Hoyt.

Etherton and Vanderford were both set at no bail.

Attorneys were waiting for reports from the Lodi Police Department in order to proceed in court, however they had received the autopsy report. They did not reveal any of the details of that report at Tuesday’s hearing.

Both suspects will return to court for a pre-preliminary hearing on Feb. 21 at 9 a.m. to ensure that both prosecution and defense have access to the police report, and again on Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. in Dept. 21 in Stockton.

Contact reporter Christina Cornejo at christinac@lodinews.com.