LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Lakeport man has pleaded not guilty to the April 5 killing of a Clearlake woman in a drive-by shooting.
Nathaniel Ladre Hueners, 21, was in court for arraignment last week in the killing of 45-year-old Elizabeth Williams, the mother of one of his close friends.
New Chief Deputy District Attorney Rich Watson said Hueners pleaded not guilty to 10 counts and numerous special allegations and waived his time for preliminary hearing in a Tuesday court appearance.
The charging document mentions a second victim in the shooting, with Hueners also charged in the attempted killing of Nino Davis.
Hueners is set for preliminary hearing on July 24. He’s being defended by Ray Buenaventura, the county chief public defender.
Also charged in the case is David Sandoval with two counts, one for concealing the 9 millimeter Glock handgun used in Williams’ killing, along with a special allegation that “the defendant threatened witnesses, unlawfully prevented and dissuaded witnesses from testifying, suborned perjury, or in any another way illegally interfered with the judicial process.”
Police said Williams was driving in a vehicle near Pacific Avenue and Konocti View Road in Clearlake on the night of Friday, April 5, when another vehicle pulled up next to hers and one of the occupants of the second vehicle shot at Williams' vehicle, striking her one time, before fleeing the scene.
A short time later, just before 11 p.m., police were dispatched to the 15300 block of Pacific Avenue on the report of multiple gunshots being heard in the area.
On the way there, they were notified that the shooting victim, Williams, was being transported to Adventist Health Clear Lake Hospital. She died there a short time later.
Clearlake Police identified Hueners as the suspect shortly after the shooting.
Then, at around 1 a.m. Monday, April 8, Lakeport Police officers responded to a hotel in Lakeport for a noise complaint and contacted three people, including Hueners and Sandoval.
Watson said they also found a firearm there in a parking lot away from the room where the men were found. It is believed that the 9 millimeter handgun was previously in the Hueners’ possession and it matched the caliber of the firearm used to kill Williams. Watson said it is still under investigation as to whether this was the same gun used in the killing.
Regarding the relationship between Sandoval and Hueners, “It’s believed that they are friends. That's still under investigation as far as what they were doing together,” said Watson.
As to the motive for Hueners’ killing of his friend’s mother, “That’s still under review,” said Watson.
While there are theories, nothing has been concluded upon and an intensive investigation is continuing, Watson added.
Court documents show that Hueners has a previous felony conviction from January of 2022 for assault with a firearm in Lake County.
The charges against Hueners are murder; the attempted murder of Nino Davis; assault with a firearm on Williams; assault with a firearm on Williams; assault with a firearm on Davis; discharge of a weapon at an occupied vehicle; two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm; two counts of being a felon in possession of ammunition; and making criminal threats against Spencer Williams.
He’s also facing special allegations of personally and intentionally discharging a firearm to kill Elizabeth Williams, use of a firearm, personal use of a firearm, personally inflicting great bodily injury on Williams and having been convicted of a prior serious or violent felony — the January 2022 assault with a firearm conviction.
The charging document also offers a special allegation of having several factors in aggravation, including that the crime involved great violence, that Hueners was armed, the victim was particularly vulnerable, he induced others to participate in the commission of the crime, that he threatened witnesses or otherwise interfered with the legal process, and that he was convicted of other crimes for which consecutive sentences could have been imposed but for which concurrent sentences are being imposed instead.
Other aggravating factors included in the charging document are that the manner in which the crime was carried out indicates planning, sophistication and professionalism, the conduct was violent and indicates a serious danger to society, Hueners’ prior convictions as an adult or sustained petitions in juvenile delinquency proceedings are numerous or of increasing seriousness, he was on probation or parole when the crime was committed and his prior performance on probation or parole was unsatisfactory.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information about the firearm believed to have been used in the crime.
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