Pretrial Motions Begin for Pair Accused of Killing Riverside Store Clerk

MURRIETA (CNS) – Pretrial motions got underway Wednesday ahead of jury selection for the trial of two convicted felons accused in the robbery-killing of a Riverside convenience store clerk nearly three years ago. John Lamont Bush, 33, of Los Angeles and Roderick Lamar Grandison, 50, of Compton allegedly gunned down 28-year-old Waqar Tanveer of Fontana in 2020. Both men are charged with first-degree murder, three counts of armed robbery, three counts of gun assault, as well as one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Bush alone is additionally charged with a special circumstance allegation of killing in the course of a robbery, as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations. A third co-defendant, 36-year-old Marleiya Onshel Barnes of Moreno Valley, pleaded guilty in 2021 to three counts of armed robbery and was sentenced to more than 10 years in state prison. During a pretrial hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta on Wednesday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Stephen Gallon ruled on motions concerning trial scheduling, admissible evidence, witnesses and jury instructions. Gallon set jury selection to start on Tuesday. Both defendants are being held at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta — Bush without bail, and Grandison in lieu of $1 million bail. In addition to the Feb. 28, 2020, robbery that resulted in Tanveer’s death, the defendants allegedly robbed several men in a separate holdup a few days later. According to Officer Ryan Railsback of the Riverside Police Department, Tanveer was working the register at the 7-Eleven at 6692 Indiana Ave. when the defendants confronted him at about 3:25 a.m., demanding money. A customer walked into the store a short time later and discovered the victim mortally wounded. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Police officers and sheriff’s deputies initiated a search of the area using K9 teams, but the robbers had fled in a vehicle, according to investigators. The store’s security surveillance videotape was reviewed as part of the investigation, but detectives did not disclose how the defendants were ultimately identified as the alleged perpetrators. They were arrested without incident the following week. According to court records, Bush and Grandison have prior felony convictions in another jurisdiction, but the offenses weren’t listed. Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.