Mother, son appear on murder charges
A mother and son accused of murdering a Yuba City man last spring appeared in court Wednesday.
Donald R. Hake, 33, and his mother, Susan E. Brandt, 58, were given dates for a pretrial conference and a preliminary hearing in the shooting death of Ryan Hull, 49.
Witness information led Yuba City police and Sutter County District Attorney’s Office investigators to the pair in November, six months after the incident.
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According to court documents, Hake and Brandt lived together in Olivehurst, and Brandt allegedly led her son to Hull for the purpose of robbing him of cash and other items. Hull was found with a gun- shot wound to his head in his apartment in the 100 block of Kenny Drive the afternoon of May 17. He was transported by helicopter to Sutter Roseville Hospital, but did not survive. Hull was originally from the Detroit area, and does not appear to have family in the area.
Police released little information from the beginning of the
investigation, including the victim’s name and officers’ theory of how the robbery turned to murder, according to AppealDemocrat archives.
Hake and Brandt will next appear in Sutter County Superior Court on April 5 for a pretrial conference, and on April 27 for a preliminary hearing.
Steven Strong Bear Stevenson and Antonio R. Moreno, both 23 and of Sacramento, were given dates for hearings in their case involving the alleged attack of a Yuba City police officer in August.
Police say Stevenson was intoxicated when he drove his vehicle into two parked cars just after midnight Aug. 21. An officer attempted to communicate with the men as they walked away from the scene, and Moreno is accused of fighting with the officer.
According to Appeal-Democrat archives, Stevenson allegedly struck the officer in the head from behind, beat him with his own baton and slammed his head into the ground. On his way to jail, Moreno allegedly threatened to kill the driver.
At his first court appearance, Stevenson claimed he was disoriented and didn’t remember an officer being present, and said he is not a danger to the community. The men were in the area visiting with friends, Moreno said in his first court appearance.
Stevenson and Moreno will appear in Sutter County Superior Court on March 22 for a prehearing, and again the next day for a preliminary hearing. Both are still in custody.
Gurmandeep Singh Gill, 23, pleaded no contest to two of the charges he faces: willfully inflicting physical pain or mental suffering upon an elder or dependent adult; and corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant.
Judge Brian Aronson ordered Gill to return to Sutter County Superior Court on April 3 for sentencing. On that date, the conditional plea will either be accepted or denied, and the Probation Department’s report and recommendation will be considered.
Gill was arrested Feb. 2 after he allegedly slapped a family member in the face, sat on top of another and strangled him, and slapped a third victim and forced her against the wall. According to court documents, Gill struck a family member with a belt buckle Jan. 6, following a verbal disagreement. The same day Gill was arrested, he allegedly struck a family member in the face over what was made for dinner, and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.
All three victims told the Probation Department they are not fearful of Gill and requested he be released from custody. Gill is still in custody with $500,000 bail.
Landon Scott, 30, also received a new court date for a pretrial conference this Friday.
Scott is accused of attempting to rape two different women known to him on five separate occasions during the commission of a burglary. He is also charged with kidnapping or carrying away an individual to commit robbery or rape, and touching the intimate part of another person while that person was unlawfully restrained by the accused.
Landon’s request to be released on his own recognizance was denied. He is still in custody with $250,000 bail.