Temecula Man Denies Murdering 2 People Found Dumped In Hemet

TEMECULA, CA — A man accused of killing two Temecula residents and dumping their bodies in Hemet pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Tuesday.

David Alan Floyd, 59, of Temecula is charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Angel Ponce and Danielle Ricker, both 31 years of age.

The defendant is also charged with two sentence-enhancing allegations of discharging a firearm and causing great bodily injury, as well as two special circumstance allegations: possessing a firearm while being prohibited from doing so due to a temporary restraining order, and violating a domestic violence court order.

Floyd was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Elaine Kiefer, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for May 16 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

Floyd is being held without bail at Riverside's Robert Presley Detention Center.

The remains of Ponce and Ricker were found March 2 near the area of E. Benton and Sage roads. The grim discovery was made after a search warrant was served Feb. 27 at Floyd's Temecula home in the 34000 block of Galleron Street, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department reported.

Detectives obtained the warrant while investigating the disappearances of Ponce and Ricker — "evidence suggested they were deceased," according to the sheriff's department. The two were living together in Temecula.

Ponce, who was from Escondido, was reported missing by family on Feb. 18. Ricker was reported missing five days later, according to the sheriff's department.

Floyd had a history with Ricker. On Feb. 8, he was found guilty of misdemeanor disturbing the peace. A charge of battery on a spouse/partner was dismissed after he agreed to enroll in a 52-week program to combat domestic violence, court records show.

The case stemmed from a Nov. 5, 2021, incident in which Ricker was the victim. Floyd was sentenced to 36 months probation — the terms included his promise he would not have any contact with Ricker. He was also ordered to pay her restitution, according to court records.

Floyd has no other criminal convictions in Riverside County, according to court records.

A motive for the slayings was not released, nor was information about where the victims were killed.