Fresno murder suspect Devin Senegal pleads not guilty during arraignment

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- One of three suspects in the killing of 21-year-old Adriana Gonzales appeared in court on Wednesday.

We were not allowed to show Devin Senegal's face as the 23-year-old pleaded not guilty to murder.

Fresno police say Gonzales was shot and run over in the parking lot of Wayne's Liquor near California Avenue and Fresno Street in southwest Fresno last November.

Her family spoke to Action News in February on what would've been her 22nd birthday.

"Miss her smile, Her hugs, even though she was this big, her arms wrapped around you like she was a giant," her mother, Nicole Ruggeri, said.

A few months after the crime, police identified three suspects, Senegal and 26-year-old Aaminah Norman, who they say are responsible for the murder.

Investigators believe the third suspect, 29-year-old Sabrina Acosto-Ramirez, was the driver after the shooting.

But Senegal's defense says he was not part of the confrontation or the shooting.

"Mr. Senegal is in custody because he was present at the time of the event, and like most normal people, when shots rang out, he ran," Senegal's defense attorney, Miles Harris, said.

Police and Harris say the deadly encounter was caught on video.

"At no point in any of that video was Mr. Senegal in that vehicle, near the vehicle or instructing people in the vehicle," Harris explained.

However, the prosecution disagrees, saying additional footage proves Senegal's involvement.

"Mr. Senegal was the driver of this vehicle. There is video," prosecutor Samantha Dukes said. "There's also video of him handing the firearm to the shooter right before the shooting occurred."

Senegal was arrested by police in Las Vegas for driving under the influence and on a warrant for Gonzales' murder earlier this month.

He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center.

His defense says he was extradited to Fresno over the weekend.

Senegal could spend his life behind bars if convicted of first-degree murder.

The other two suspects, Norman and Acosto-Ramirez, are still at large.

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