LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who was previously charged with the killing of a man whose body was discovered in a 55-gallon drum on a beach in Malibu and a failed smash-and-grab robbery in El Monte is facing a new murder charge in a separate case. Joshua Lee Simmons, 37, is set to be arraigned next week on the amended criminal complaint, which includes a murder charge involving the Jan. 20, 2023, killing of Anthony Soloc, 50, who was shot in the head in Inglewood.
Simmons was previously charged with murder and a handgun use allegation in connection with the death of 32-year-old Javonnta Marshann Murphy, whose body was found inside the 55-gallon drum on the 23200 block of Pacific Coast Highway. A lifeguard discovered the barrel and found the body inside last July.
The amended complaint also includes the special-circumstance allegation of multiple murders and allegations that Simmons personally used an assault weapon and a semi-automatic pistol. He is also facing three counts of criminal threats involving separate victims and one count of attempted robbery in El Monte.
In the El Monte incident, Simmons was captured on video attempting to break jewelry cases and steal merchandise, before being pushed out of the store by employees. The criminal complaint also alleges that he personally used bear repellent spray during the crimes in September and had prior convictions from 2006 for grand theft and 2008 for burglary.
Simmons has been in custody since his arrest in October and is expected to appear in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom for arraignment on the new murder charge next week. A second defendant, Dennis Eugene Vance, 41, is charged with a felony count of being an accessory after the fact and is currently out on bond.