Judge Removes Attorney for Man Accused of Killing Newport Woman
VISALIA, Calif. — A Municipal Court judge has removed the defense attorney of a man accused of killing a Newport Beach woman at a remote lodge that her family owns near Sequoia National Forest.
Judge Ronn Couillard said Tuesday that attorney Charles Rothbaum would face a possible conflict of interest because he has represented the lone eyewitness to the killing.
Rothbaum said he will appeal the judge’s decision and believes that his client, Bruce Edward Beauchamp, 30, has been framed for the shooting.
Beauchamp is accused of murdering Bonnie Jean Hood, 46, and seriously injuring lodge caretaker Rudy Manuel, 35, during a robbery attempt. Both victims were shot in the head in the early morning hours of Aug. 19 at Camp Nelson Lodge, a small resort about 35 miles east of Porterville that Hood was renovating.
Beauchamp is a former maintenance foreman at a shopping center owned by a partnership that includes Hood’s husband. He faces a possible death penalty if convicted.
Rothbaum previously represented Manuel in an unrelated cases.
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