MURRIETA - A Sept. 18 trial date was confirmed today for two men accused of beating and killing a San Jacinto drug counselor who had worked with one of the defendants.

Corey Lamont Macedon, 36, and Davel D. Walker, 34, are accused of first- degree murder in the Oct. 14, 2011, slaying of 48-year-old Theron Brison.

They also face special circumstance allegations of killing to commit a felony and killing during a robbery

Macedon, the alleged principal in the crime, could face the death penalty if convicted, while Walker could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

During a hearing today at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Angel Bermudez conferred with the prosecution and the defendants' attorneys, all of whom agreed that they would be prepared to begin jury selection in the case by mid-September.

Macedon and Walker are being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

According to sheriff's investigators, Macedon and the victim had worked together at the MFI Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] Recovery Center, a substance abuse counseling facility off Santa Fe Street and Esplanade Avenue. Macedon had lost his job a short time before Brison's death, allegedly after he was caught charging patients for services that were free and pocketing the proceeds.

Prosecutors allege that Macedon talked Brison into going with him to another location and then -- allegedly with Walker's help -- ambushed him, beating, binding and gagging him.

Brison died of asphyxiation.

The defendants allegedly stole the victim's pickup, wallet and bass guitar, according to court papers. Several computers were also taken from the drug clinic.

The vehicle was later found abandoned, and Macedon was recorded on a Big 5 Sporting Goods surveillance camera allegedly using Brison's credit card, according to investigators.

The victim, a resident of Moreno Valley, was well-known regionally for his bass guitar performances, on stage with the funk band "Thee Ram Jam."

Macedon has a 2002 felony conviction for auto theft, and Walker has a 2001 conviction for burglary, according to court records. The defendants are cousins.