Charges Filed in Woman’s Slaying

Six months after a Riverside woman was run over and killed, allegedly by a thief who stole her car, the Riverside County district attorney has charged the suspect with murder.

Paul Douglas Anderson, 31, of Ontario was charged after investigators allegedly found physical evidence linking him to the Nov. 7 slaying of 19-year-old Pamela Thompson, a district attorney’s spokeswoman said.

Anderson, jailed since November on charges of receiving and possessing property belonging to Thompson with intent to defraud, on Friday pleaded not guilty in Riverside County Superior Court. His bail was increased from $25,000 to $500,000, authorities said.

“We’re just ecstatic about this,” said Joe Dietz, Thompson’s stepfather. “You’ll never know how hard it was waiting for this, but when you find out justice can be served and people aren’t going to get away with murder -- that’s a huge weight to be lifted off of our shoulders.”

Anderson’s attorney, Stuart Holmes, could not be reached for comment.

Riverside police previously collected hair and fingerprints from Thompson’s stolen 1993 Nissan Sentra.

Police also allegedly found Anderson in possession of Thompson’s bank card and driver’s license, along with a shaved key used to start Thompson’s car, when they arrested him Nov. 19, 12 days after Thompson was run over outside her apartment complex.