A Clairemont man was ordered June 7 to stand trial for the murder of his roommate who fled to her boyfriend’s home in Pacific Beach where she died following a beating.
David Charles Ashton, 62, is accused of killing Regina Moore, 48, on Jan. 23. San Diego Superior Court Judge Michael Smyth heard the preliminary hearing and ordered him to next appear in court on July 6.
Moore may have underestimated her injuries after she left her residence to temporarily stay with her boyfriend in Pacific Beach and did not seek medical treatment immediately. But her boyfriend called an ambulance at 3 a.m. and she died six hours later in a hospital.
Deputy District Attorney Nicole Rooney said the cause of death was multiple blunt force injury to her head and body. An autopsy showed she had seven injuries to her head, a broken rib, and bruising on her abdomen. “He(Ashton) had beaten her in the past,” said Rooney. The prosecutor said no weapons were found in Ashton’s Clairemont home, but Ashton is believed to have struck her with his fists repeatedly.
Ashton has pleaded not guilty and remains in the South Bay Detention Facility on $1 million bail. He was arrested Jan. 24.