Suspected cop killer pleads not guilty

RIVERSIDE – In a small courtroom crowded with nearly 10 uniformed sheriff’s deputies, Earl Ellis Green pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of fatally shooting a Riverside police officer last month.

Green, 44, of Rubidoux, was accused of killing police officer Ryan Bonaminio in Fairmount Park on Nov. 7, after the 27-year-old officer stopped Green for a possible hit-and-run accident a short distance away.

Also present in the courtroom was Bonaminio’s father, Joe Bonaminio, along with members of the defendant’s family. Green entered wearing a red jail jump suit, indicating he’s an isolated inmate.

Riverside Superior Court Judge Roger Luebs set a preliminary hearing date of Feb. 10 after Green said, through his attorneys, O.G. Magno and Gail O’Rane, that he accepted representation by the deputy capital defenders.

Green’s parole was pulled Nov. 8 due to an alleged assault Green had committed on an uncle, according to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He was charged with the murder shortly thereafter.

Green has a history of violent crimes, according to police. He could face the death penalty if convicted of the Bonaminio murder.

Police reports state Bonaminio had pulled Green’s semi-tractor truck over on Nov. 7 for the reported hit-and-run. The suspect ran away and Bonaminio pursued. The four-year veteran of the department slipped on wet pavement. The suspect beat Bonaminio with a metal bar and then shot him, possibly with his own service revolver, the reports state.