A Hollister man on Friday pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder in the shooting death of his co-worker, an off-duty Department of Defense police officer inadvertently hit by gunfire during a fight outside a north Modesto bar.
Police say Robert Anthony Moreno pulled out a gun during the fight with a group of people in late July, opened fire and mistakenly shot to death his fellow federal officer, Daryl Chargualaf.
Moreno, 30, briefly appeared Friday morning in Stanislaus County Superior Court for his arraignment hearing.
The defendant appeared with his Merced-based defense attorney, John Garcia.
Moreno also pleaded not guilty to two counts each of attempted murder and assault with a semiautomatic gun. Judge Valli Israels scheduled Moreno to return to court Jan. 31 for a pretrial hearing.
The defendant remains in custody at the Stanislaus County Jail; his bail is set at $2.9 million.
