MURRIETA - A teenager pleaded not guilty to murder today in the death of a 17-year-old boy who was shot to death, dismembered and burned in a backyard bonfire in Hemet.

Jose Manuel Campos, 18, who was 17 at the time of Adrian Rios' Nov. 15 murder, will be tried as an adult, according to John Hall of the District Attorney's Office.

He also faces a sentence-enhancing allegation of personally discharging a firearm to cause great bodily injury and could get 50 years to life if convicted.

Campos is being held on $2 million bail, but prosecutor Sam Kaloustian said he opposes bail for the defendant.

"The people intend to ask for no bail ... based on the circumstances of Mr. Campos' apprehension," Kaloustian told Riverside County Superior Court Judge Angel Bermudez.

Campos and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Felicia Sharp, were returned Wednesday to Riverside County from Mexico, where they fled in November.

He and Sharp, who is to be charged as an accessory, were picked up in Mexicali Tuesday night.

Rios was shot with a .22-caliber pistol before his body was dismembered and thrown into a backyard fire pit.

Campos is the suspected shooter and Sharp is accused of helping him dispose of Rios' body, said Hemet police Lt. Duane Wisehart.

"This was an especially horrific crime in that the victim was shot and then his body dismembered and burned in the backyard of the residence," Wisehart said.

Sharp is being held without bail in Juvenile Hall and did not make an appearance in adult court today.

Police have said they believe at least six people were at the house around the time Rios was killed.

Investigators who searched the property recovered a machete and a Hemet Police Department ticket issued to Jose Campos, among other items.

So far, investigators have not revealed any motive for the shooting.

Man and girlfriend on the lam in Mexico arrested on charges for the dismemberment death of teenage boy in Hemet

MURRIETA - An 18-year-old man and his girlfriend, who were arrested in Mexico after several months on the lam, were booked today on charges stemming from the dismemberment death of a teenage boy in Hemet, police said.

Jose Manuel Campos and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Felicia Sharp, are accused in the murder of Adrian Rios, 17, who was shot with a .22-caliber pistol before being thrown into a backyard fire pit.

Campos is the suspected shooter and Sharp is accused of helping him dispose of the 17-year-old victim's body by dismembering it and setting it on fire last Nov. 15, said Hemet police Lt. Duane Wisehart.

"This was an especially horrific crime in that the victim was shot and then his body dismembered and burned in the backyard of the residence," Wisehart said.

Campos and Sharp were taken into custody Tuesday night in Mexicali. They were extradited to Southern California late Wednesday afternoon and, after questioning, were booked just before 5 this morning.

Campos was booked on suspicion of murder, as well as Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] vehicle code violations, and was being held on $2 million bail. His first court appearance is set for Friday.

Sharp was expected to be charged as an accessory to murder and was being held without bail in Juvenile Hall.

Police have said they believe at least six people were at the house around the time Rios was killed.

Investigators who searched the property recovered a machete and a Hemet Police Department ticket issued to Jose Campos, among other items.

Two teens on the lam in Mexico found for questioning in murder of 17-year-old

HEMET - Two teens who'd been on the lam since the November death of a 17-year-old boy whose body was burned in a bonfire were brought back to Riverside County today and were being questioned at the Hemet police station.

Jose Manuel Campos and Felicia Sharp were taken into custody Tuesday night in Mexico, but it was unclear exactly where they were found. They were extradited to Southern California late this afternoon, said Hemet police Lt. Duane Wisehart.

The lieutenant said he believed the teenagers were found fairly close to the border, but police from Sonora State were involved in the capture of the youths, he said.

U.S. marshals, Mexican federal police and a fugitive task force also assisted in the capture and arrest, he said.

"It's good news in a bad case," Wisehart told City News Service. Campos and Sharp were both 17 at the time of Adrian Rios' death. The 17-year-old victim was shot with a .22-caliber pistol, then his body was burned in a bonfire in Hemet.

Campos is the suspected shooter and Sharp is accused of helping him dispose of the body by setting it on fire, Wisehart said.

Campos, who was named in a $2 million warrant, disappeared the night after a huge bonfire was spotted at a home on Bluejay Way last Nov. 15.

The crime came to light Nov. 16, when the victim's mother went to the home and looked around, spotting what she believed to be her son's sneaker.

Police later found a fire pit and shallow grave containing what were subsequently determined to be Rios' remains. They also found drag marks in the backyard.

Sharp had been questioned early in the investigation but was allowed to leave. She then disappeared.

Campos' parents were detained but were never charged.

Neighbors reported a powerful stench emanating from the Sunday night bonfire, which was set after several youths gathered at the house, reportedly to watch a football game, according to police.

Campos apparently lived at the home on Bluejay Way, but neighbors said the family moved out about a week before the bonfire.

Police have said they believe at least six people were at the house around the time Rios was killed.

Investigators who searched the property recovered a machete, a .22-caliber shell, a shovel, butcher knives, a gas canister, a partially burned T-shirt, pieces of rope, a sock, a yellow metal hoop earring and a Hemet Police

Department ticket issued to Jose Campos.