A judge declined to reduce $500,000 bail Jan. 2 for a man suspected of accessory after the fact to the bizarre slaying of a South Bay man who was found inside a 55-gallon oil drum in San Diego Bay.
Attorney Roland Haddad, who represents Derrick Jefferson Spurgeon, 38, said there were new facts in the case which he said merited lower bail.
Omar Medina, 28, a music producer, disappeared Sept. 30, 2017, and was found Oct. 12 in a barrel after a diver noticed it. Chula Vista Police arrested Timothy John Cook, 52, of Chula Vista, on Dec. 13.
Cook is charged with murder while Spurgeon, of El Cajon, is charged with accessory after the fact. Medina had been stabbed 66 times.
Haddad told Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Francis Devaney that his client’s role was limited and he had nothing to do with the body.
“He assisted in disposing of a barrel brought to his house,” said Haddad.
“And in that barrel was a body,” said Devaney.
Haddad asked for a reduction to $100,000 bail while the prosecutor was opposed to a reduction.
“There is nothing that he did with the body,” said Haddad.
Devaney noted that Spurgeon is facing a separate case of transportation and possession of illegal drugs for sale. The judge said Spurgeon had actually been free on $100,000 bond on the drug case when he was arrested in this other case.
“Mr. Spurgeon drove the boat into the water. They disposed of it in the bay,” said Deputy District Attorney Cherie Somerville.
Somerville said some cinderblocks were attached to the barrel, but they fell off and the barrel surfaced.
“The nature of this offense is outrageous,” said the judge. “Mr. Spurgeon helped to dispose of a dead body. That shows to me he is callous.”
“He is a flight risk. He is a danger to society,” ruled Devaney.
A preliminary hearing has been set for March 28. Both Cook and Spurgeon have pleaded not guilty. Another judge previously denied setting any bail for Cook, and both he and Spurgeon remain in jail.
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