PLEASANT HILL – Two suspected Richmond gang members are scheduled to face trial early next 12 months for the shooting that left a neighborhood cannabis supplier and a suspected robber dead after a bunch ambushed the victim near his home, court records show.
Money Green, 20, and Joe Washington Jr., 18, faced their preliminary hearing in late July. Their trial is now scheduled for early 2025. Green is charged with murder within the death of 63-year-old Peter Popovich, while Washington is charged with conspiracy, robbery and possession of the stolen Dodge Charger the robbers allegedly utilized in the murder.
Court records recently revealed a brand new detail within the sequence that led to Popovich's death. Just two hours before Popovich and 21-year-old Trevon Davis, a suspected robber, were killed in a shootout, Davis, Green and at the least one other person allegedly bumped into a tobacco shop on International Boulevard in Oakland and robbed various items. The robbers wore masks, but police were in a position to discover Davis because he was wearing the identical clothing he wore later that day when Popovich fatally shot him, authorities said.
After the tobacco shop robbery, Oakland police attempted to stop the suspects, who were driving a stolen vehicle, however the automotive sped away and eluded officers shortly after 10 a.m. The double murder occurred shortly before noon the identical day, authorities said in court documents.
On the day of his murder, Popovich, a Pleasant Hill resident, was armed with a firearm for his job and spent the day driving from cannabis dispensary to dispensary within the East Bay, making deliveries. The suspects allegedly spent March 19 of last 12 months committing or planning crimes, starting when Green and Washington allegedly drove to San Pablo with an electronic automotive key scanner to steal a blue Dodge Charger from a resident there.
With the Dodge of their possession, Green and Washington allegedly met up with their friends – Davis and a fourth person whose identity stays a mystery. Police say all 4 men belonged to a gang near Crescent Park in Richmond.
The 4 then went to Oakland “in search of a robbery victim,” in keeping with the indictments against Green and Washington. Around noon that very same day, they followed Popovich from Oakland to Pleasant Hill, trapped him near his home through the use of the Dodge to dam his only escape route, and attempted to rob him at gunpoint, authorities say.
But Popovich fought back and fatally shot Davis during an exchange of gunfire. The surviving suspects fled within the Dodge and later abandoned it in Oakland, police said.
According to court records, Green and Washington were identified through a review of electronic data, including surveillance footage and text messages between them. They were arrested together in North Highlands near Washington's aunt's home a month after the shooting. Police searched the house and located 4 firearms, several magazines and greater than 100 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.
Green and Washington have pleaded not guilty.
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