Crime & Safety
Killing Of RivCo Marijuana Cultivator: 3 To Stand Trial
Three people accused of killing 64-year-old James Cidney Brown at his Anza home in 2019 will go to court on first-degree murder charges.
ANZA, CA —Three felons accused in the fatal shooting of a 64- year-old man who interrupted a break-in at his Anza home, where he was cultivating cannabis for sale, must stand trial for first-degree murder and other offenses, a judge ruled Monday.
Jody Lynn Came Miller, 47, of Rancho Cucamonga, James Max Robinson, 41, of San Bernardino, and Jesse Robert Thurbush, 41, of Victorville, allegedly killed James Cidney Brown in 2019.
Following a preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Stephen Gallon found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial for the trio on the murder count, as well as attempted murder, burglary, attempted robbery and false imprisonment, with special circumstance allegations of killing in the course of a burglary and killing during the commission of a robbery.
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Miller was additionally held to answer for sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Nov. 29 at the Murrieta courthouse.
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Miller is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, while her two co-defendants are each being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.
According to sheriff's Sgt. Wally Clear, the trio, and possibly others who have yet to be identified, allegedly forced their way into Brown's home in the 39000 block of El Toro Road on the night of Nov. 3, 2019.
When the victim confronted them, the defendants allegedly opened fire with handguns, killing him on the spot, according to investigators.
Clear alleged Brown was using his property to illegally cultivate marijuana, and the defendants evidently intended to steal raw and processed product. It is unclear how much they allegedly carried away.
The victim's remains were discovered hours later.
After Central Homicide Unit detectives searched the grounds, the illegal grow was razed, and all remaining cannabis was seized and destroyed, according to Clear.
The investigation spanned almost 18 months before Miller and Thurbush were identified as alleged perpetrators and arrested in April 2021. Robinson was taken into custody weeks later.
According to court records, all three defendants have prior burglary convictions.
