SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. —
Content warning: Some readers may find details of this story disturbing.
A man accused of opening fire on his ex-girlfriend's family and killing her two teenage daughters plead not guilty to double murder charges Monday afternoon. The deadly shooting happened in Lemon Grove last month.
Dwayne Groves Jr., 38, faces two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of assault with a deadly weapon. Groves could face the death penalty if found guilty of the double murder charges.
The two victims who died were 15-year-olds Caira Rachel and Leah Sylvania Christopher. The sisters’ older brother Gary Paul Goode was also injured in the shooting. Groves allegedly pistol-whipped him in the head, according to prosecutors, who said Goode tried to shield himself from the blows with his arms, leaving him with a fractured arm.
The shooting took place on April 15 at a home in the 7400 block of Central Avenue.
The girls' mother, JoAnn Hoyt, was also in the home at the time the gunfire rang out. She fled with her 4-year-old and 1-year-old children, who all escaped injury. Hoyt told reporters that day Groves had come into her home, shot at her and then shot her twin daughters to death in their bedroom.
"I grabbed the little kids and ran out the back because I knew I couldn't do anything for my daughters," the mother said.
Hoyt said that she and Groves broke up about a week and a half before the shooting.
Deputy District Attorney Meredith Pro alleged that shortly before Groves arrived at the home, he called Hoyt and told her "he had figured it all out and had a plan," though Hoyt didn't know what he meant.
Pro described the horror within the house.
"Ms. Hoyt's 15-year-old daughter, Caira started screaming and slammed the interior bedroom door shut. The defendant kicked open that door and shot Caira in the head, killing her. He then proceeded through the house to Leah's room, where he shot and killed her," the deputy DA said.
Groves was arrested shortly after the shooting, according to authorities. Deputies searched the area with help from a patrol helicopter and said they found Groves hiding in a backyard a few houses down from the shooting.
Pro said Groves had blood spatter on his clothing when he was taken into custody.
The murder charges come with a special circumstance allegation of committing multiple murders. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek capital punishment for the defendant. The only other potential sentence in the event of a conviction would be life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Groves remains in custody without bail, and is due back in court Aug. 24 for a status conference.