Preliminary Hearing Postponed in Craigslist Killing Case

Three 17-year-olds will wait two more months for their preliminary hearing in a case where they are accused of posing as sellers on Craigslist, robbing La Jolla High graduate Garrett Berki and allegedly shooting him to death in a May 11 incident.

Judge David J. Danielsen issued a continuance in the preliminary hearing for Rashon Abernathy, Seandell Jones and Shaquille Jordan on Tuesday morning. The three are held on $5 million bail each and face 50 years to life in prison if convicted.

The preliminary hearing is tentatively rescheduled for Oct. 11.

The three teens pleaded not guilty in adult court to charges related to the slaying and robbery, including gang allegations, on May 13. The three teens are charged with killing Berki, 18, after allegedly luring him to the Paradise Hills neighborhood of San Diego by posing as sellers of an item on Craigslist, according to police reports.

Berki, a Mesa College student who lived with his mother in Mission Beach, had reportedly gone with his girlfriend to the eastern San Diego neighborhood to buy a MacBook he had seen for sale online. At the prearranged meeting location, Abernathy, Jones and Jordan allegedly pretended to sell the item before pulling out a gun and demanding cash and cell phones, according to police.

The three suspects reportedly fled the scene in a Honda. Berki followed their vehicle to try to get the license plate number. The two cars drove into a cul-de-sac near Parkside Park and the Honda circled around and headed back toward Berki’s car, according to police reports.

As the vehicles were next to each other, one of the three suspects allegedly fired a shot that struck Berki, according to Lt. Kevin Rooney of the San Diego Police Department. The victim’s girlfriend was present throughout the incident and was unharmed; her name was not released.

After the gunshot, the three suspects reportedly drove away from the cul-de-sac for a short distance before losing control of the car on the 3000 block of Fleming Way and fleeing on foot.

Officers searched the area by ground and air with a helicopter. The three suspects were arrested about a block from the site of the crash.