Judge forces plea for murder defendant

A judge entered a not guilty plea for one of three men charged with murder in the shooting of a Highway 101 motorist after the defendant refused to do so personally.

Mohammad Rabah, 19, did not want to enter a plea at his Superior Court arraignment so Judge Cliff Cretan did so at the request of the prosecution. Rabah’s co-defendant, Doyal Malcolm Webber, pleaded not guilty himself at the same hearing before both were ordered to stand trial Nov. 17.

The pair’s other co-defendant and Rabah’s brother, Mohmoud Rabah, is traveling through the court system separately and returns to court Oct. 29 to set a new preliminary hearing date. Rabah, 18, was arrested in the case after Mohammad Rabah and Webber, both 19.

The three are accused of killing San Mateo resident Lon Dell Wilson, 25, who was shot once in the chest while driving north on Highway 101 near the Broadway overpass at about 10:30 p.m. Sept. 30, 2007. Wilson’s silver 1990 Honda Accord then crashed and landed in a ditch at the side of the highway. He died at San Francisco General Hospital shortly thereafter.

Mohmoud Rabah is believed to have been a passenger in the car his brother Mohammad Rabah was driving when Webber, another passenger, fired a gun and killed Wilson, according to San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

Wilson’s silver 1990 Honda Accord crashed in a ditch at the side of Highway 101 and he was later pronounced dead at San Francisco General Hospital. The investigation went nowhere until police released images from a nearby red light camera.

Two grainy images of a 1970 Buick Skylark and a turquoise 1980 Oldsmobile station wagon were flashed on television news, prompting a call from a citizen who recognized the station wagon from an East Palo Alto neighborhood. Police located the car in East Palo Alto and interviews with the owner led to Webber as the passenger who fired the gun.

A K-9 bit Webber during the Oct. 24 apprehension, leaving him with injuries as well as the list of criminal charges.

The two were charged with murder and were set to go to trial in July. However, Mohmoud Rabah was arrested the day a trial was set to begin for his brother and Webber. The District Attorney’s Office then re-filed murder charges to include all three defendants.

All three remain in custody on no-bail status. Mohammad Rabah returns to court next Thursday with his attorney Ian Loveseth for a hearing on the defense request to be reimbursed by the county for legal representation.

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.