Suspect in Malibu shootings pleads not guilty

A man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to allegations that he killed one person and shot at several others while stalking a Malibu-area campground between 2016 and 2018, authorities said.

Anthony Rauda, 42, entered the not-guilty plea during a brief hearing in a Van Nuys courtroom, said Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Cynthia Barnes. A preliminary hearing was tentatively scheduled for Feb. 4, Barnes said.

Rauda was charged last month with one count of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder in connection with a series of seemingly random shootings that took place inside or near Malibu Creek State Park between November 2016 and June of last year, prosecutors have said.

The shooting death of Tristan Beaudette, a 35-year-old scientist who was camping in the park with his young daughters in June, brought reports of the previous shooting incidents into the public eye and sparked panic that a sniper was stalking one of the county’s most idyllic locales.

Rauda was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in connection with a string of burglaries in the area in October. He was carrying a rifle at the time of his arrest, and sources previously told The Times that forensic tests confirmed that rifle was used in several of the shootings.

The public defender’s office, which is representing Rauda, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rauda remains jailed in lieu of $1.1-million bail.

Investigators have said they do not believe Rauda was targeting specific people. Rauda has a lengthy criminal record, including multiple convictions for illegal weapons possession in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, court records show. He previously lived in Florida and Texas, where he was convicted of assault, according to court records.

james.queally@latimes.com

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