Teen sent 'hobo hunting' text before killing homeless woman with pellet gun: prosecutors

A teenager charged in the death of a homeless woman in San Diego texted that he was going "hobo hunting," according to investigators.

Prosecutors say that 18-year-old William Innes, who was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 68-year-old Annette Pershal, sent the text to a group that includes his co-defendant, 19-year-old Ryan Hopkins, reported KNSD-TV.

"I'm going hobo hunting with a pellet gun," Innes told the group, according to prosecutors.

Pershal was found shot in the head, leg and torso, and one pellet ruptured an artery, prosecutors said. She was declared dead three days later at a hospital.

Paramedics initially couldn't determine why she was unconscious after she was found around May 8 in the Serra Mesa neighborhood.

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Investigators found a Gamo Shadow Whisper air rifle in a search of Innes' home, and he was also charged with possession of an assault weapon and failure to apply for serial numbers for two would-be firearms, a legal requirement that the state legislature passed to halt the use of untraceable "ghost" guns.

Hopkins was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after prosecutors alleged that he drove Innes to the homicide scene.

Both teens, who live in the area, have pleaded not guilty but remain in jail without bail.

An attorney for Hopkins questioned the timing of the text, saying it was sent 12 hours after the shooting, and he described his client as “a good kid with a warm heart.”