File photo.


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Today, while attorneys met to establish a date for a preliminary hearing on two Hoopa teenagers accused of murdering a 17-year-old, proceedings were pushed to next week.

This followed defense attorneys pointing to missing discovery, and a motion seeking evidence the District Attorney has on the case to be compelled from the office.

Rebecca Linkous, attorney for 18-year-old William Randolph-Billy Warren, filed a motion to compel discovery last week. At the hearing this morning she said the motion was related to “significant discovery” that was missing, adding she needs to know whether or not it exists.

The setting of the date of the preliminary hearing was moved to June 16, when the motion to compel discovery is set to be discussed.

Attorneys sought to resolve the matter ahead of setting the date of the preliminary hearing, which aims to determine if sufficient probable cause exists to bring the case against the pair to trial. When Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Steven Steward asked if a four day estimate for the preliminary hearing was still accurate, attorneys were in agreement with the timeline.

However, attorney Andrea Sullivan, who represents 19-year-old co-defendant Tse-Lin Lincoln, added over Zoom that evidence related to gang allegations could add length to the preliminary hearing. The state of discovery is such that she doesn’t know how this will affect the timeline of the hearing, she said.

The co-defendants appeared in custody, wearing orange jumpsuits. They face murder charges related to the March 10 shooting, as well as four counts of assault with firearms against five total victims and shooting at an occupied vehicle. They additionally face multiple enhancements to these charges for participation in a criminal street gang, meaning additional jail time if convicted. The victim, Dylan Moon, later died of injuries sustained in the shooting.

Previously, hearings have been pushed out due to a large volume of evidence. Three other teenagers under the age of 18 were arrested in connection with the shooting.

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Woman accused of murdering toddler arrives in Humboldt County, pleaded not guilty

Yesterday, a woman accused of murdering her 19-month-old daughter pleaded not guilty to all charges and enhancements levied against her, according to court records. She was brought to Humboldt County last week.

32-year-old Nichole Thorpe was charged April 7 with murder, felony child abuse (with an enhancement for the child’s age) and welfare fraud tied to the child totaling $18,636.30. According to court records, she is accused of fraudulently collecting welfare for the dead 19-month-old for two years.

She was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility June 5, according to booking records (a development first reported by Kym Kemp) after being arrested in Indiana in April. She is being held without bail, court records indicate.

According to jail records, Thorpe had been incarcerated at a Jay County, Ind. jail since her arrest on April 29, following a lengthy investigation by Humboldt County police and issuance of an arrest warrant. She was listed as a resident of Albany, Ind.

Booking photo via Redkey Indiana Police Department

The Eureka Police Department said police were contacted and told the child had not been seen by family members for an extended period of time and it was believed the child was possibly deceased.

Police from multiple agencies found human remains in a remote area near Blue Lake in Dec. 2023, confirmed through DNA testing as belonging to the child, according to EPD.

Thorpe’s preliminary trial setting date was scheduled for September 10, according to the hearing’s minutes. She is represented by Kathleen Bryson.

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