Five people accused of killing a 60-year-old man then setting his motorhome on fire plead not guilty Thursday, the L.A. District Attorney’s office said. 

The five–who range in age from 19 to 35–were all charged in the murder of Thomas Taylor, who was found beaten to death inside his burning RV on January 28. Officials say Diana Sequen, 20, Jose Alfredo Zolorza, 19, David Romero, 28, Jazmin Montanez, 35, and Anthony J. Paz, 21, used to regularly stop by Taylor’s motorhome, but had been told at some point to leave and not return. 

Prosecutors allege Taylor was killed after the five returned to his RV on the evening of Jan. 27, despite having been told not to come back again and the fire was an attempt to destroy evidence of the crime. Officers on routine patrol smelled smoke and discovered the motor home on fire in the 500 block of West 17th Street about 12:15AM Jan. 28, called the Long Beach Fire Department for assistance and then used fire extinguishers from their patrol cars to extinguish the flames. The defendents were arrested a few weeks later.

All five are being held in lieu of $1M bail and are due back in court June 5 for a preliminary hearing. If convicted as charged, each faces 25 years to life in state prison. 

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