Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Palmdale Man Faces Charges in Hermosa Beach Shooting

A Palmdale man was charged with attempted murder this week in the shooting of a Hermosa Beach woman who survived for four days in her apartment with three bullet wounds in her head, authorities said.

When police found Linda M. Dillon, 57, on Oct. 3, semi-conscious in her apartment, she said she had tried to commit suicide. She now says she was shot by Jeffrey Ray Locke, 41, a former co-worker at Hughes Aircraft, said Detective Raul Saldana of the Hermosa Beach Police Department.

“She has never articulated a reason for the contradictory statement,” said Los Angeles Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Wilson, who is handling the case. “But she is saying he shot her now.”

Dillon is in fair condition at a local hospital.

Locke pleaded not guilty Tuesday at his arraignment in Torrance Municipal Court. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 at Men’s Central Jail, authorities said.

Police said they were skeptical of the suicide explanation because multiple shots were fired and no gun or casings were found in the apartment. A neighbor had also told police Dillon named Locke as her attacker when the neighbor found her moaning in her apartment before police arrived.

“The relationship between them is still unclear,” Saldana said. “Both said it was friendly,” he said adding that the two may have been involved in a romantic relationship at one time.

Saldana said Dillon insists that her relationship with Locke was platonic, but said that in the earlier accounts she gave, “it sounded like she was trying to protect him.”

Police said Locke may have used a pillow to muffle the shots he is charged with firing into Dillon. A bloodied pillow was found in his car a block away from her apartment, police said.

No gun has been recovered, but a search of Locke’s home revealed two .22-caliber rifles, one AK-47 assault weapon and a 30-30 Winchester rifle, police said.

Locke’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 26.