Man Charged in Killing of Father of Six in Monrovia

PASADENA (CNS) - A man has been charged with murder involving the shooting of a father of six who had tried to quell an argument outside his own home in Monrovia, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Friday.

Christopher Wiggan, 42, pleaded not guilty Friday to the murder count stemming from the killing on Sunday of Nicolas Gandara, 38, who was shot in the neck, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Wiggan is also face an allegation that he personally used a firearm in the commission of the crime.

Gandara was shot after attempting to quell an argument between the defendant and a resident on Duarte Road, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Wiggan allegedly fled the scene, but was arrested the following afternoon when he returned, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Jail records indicate that he was arrested June 3 by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, released from custody two days later and re-arrested by Monrovia police within seven minutes and that he has remained in custody since then.

Wiggan is due back in a Pasadena courtroom June 20. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.

He could face a potential life prison term if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney's Office.