Man Pleads Not Guilty to 1981 Triple Murder

Riverside - A 52-year-old man accused in a 1981 triple homicide that left a woman and two men dead, including a Cabazon tribal leader, pleaded not guilty today to felony charges.

James "Jimmy" Hughes was security chief for the tribe at the time of the murders of Ralph Arthur Boger, 42; Patricia Roberta Castro, 44; and Alfred Alvarez, 32, who was vice chairman of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians Tribal Council.

They were found dead on July 1, 1981, at 35040 Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dale R. Wells set bail at $1 million, with the condition that Hughes surrender his passport. The judge also ordered Hughes to return to court on April 9 for a felony settlement conference.

The state Attorney General's Office is considering pursuing a special circumstance allegation against Hughes that would make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted, Deputy Attorney General Mike Murphy said outside of the courtroom.

Hughes' wife and son were in court for his arraignment on three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy, but declined comment afterward.

The defendant's attorney, Rene A. Sotorrio, said outside the courtroom that Hughes' "family, supporters and his friends, of which there are legions, are each very concerned about his welfare."

"I believe, at the end of all these proceedings, Mr. Hughes will be vindicated," the defense attorney said.

Hughes, who was extradited from Miami to Riverside County on Saturday , is accused of conspiring with three other men to keep Alvarez from exposing alleged illegal activities of the tribe's casino founder, John Philip Nichols.

In addition to Hughes and Nichols, court documents identified the alleged co-conspirators as Nichols' son, John Paul Nichols, and Glen Heggstad, who lives in Palm Desert.

Hughes was arrested in September as the plane he was on was about to take off from Miami International Airport for Honduras. Hughes had worked in Honduras for 15 years as a preacher for Jimmy Hughes Ministries, which he founded in 1995.

Sotorrio denied his client was avoiding arrest by living in Honduras.

"Mr. Hughes came back to (the United States) several times," he said.

The California Attorney General's Office is handling the case because Hughes is a distant cousin of Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco.