Duo charged with murder of homeless women while “hobo hunting”

August 9, 2023

Two California men allegedly used a pellet gun to fatally shoot a homeless woman known as “Granny Annie” while out “hobo hunting,” prosecutors said.

Ryan Hopkins, 19, and William Innes, 18, were arraigned in a San Diego court Monday in connection with the death of 68-year-old Annette Pershal, who was shot five times with a pellet gun while she slept and died as a result of her injuries.

“I want to go hobo hunting with a pellet gun,” Innes texted in a group chat shared with Hopkins just minutes before the attack on May 8, according to the San Diego District Attorney’s Office.

The duo allegedly drove up to the homeless encampment in Serra Mesa where Pershal was staying, striking the elderly woman and causing her to suffer multiple strokes and internal bleeding.

“This was a callous, conscious disregard for life,” Deputy District Attorney Roza Egiazarian said in a statement.

Ryan Hopkins is accused of driving the car to go "hobo hunting," in the murder of a homeless woman. — Ryan Hopkins is accused of driving the car to go “hobo hunting,” in the murder of a homeless woman.

William Innes, 18, allegedly messaged a group of 150 people that he was in the mood to shoot homeless people with his pellet gun.

The men have been implicated in the murder of Annette Pershal, left, pictured with her mother before losing their home.

Grieving daughter Brandy Nazworth said that Pershal refused multiple times to move in with her in Louisiana, choosing instead to stay in the neighborhood where she spent her entire life despite losing her home in 2017.

The daughter added that her mother was a fixture in the community as someone who would go out of her way to help others struggling in the streets, with the locals setting up a makeshift memorial near the encampment she lived in.

Residents also put up a sign along a fence that reads: “Queen of S.M. Granny Annie will live on. RIP 1995-2023.” The memorial site remains maintained even three months after her death.

The local community put up a memorial for Pershal, who was known as "Granny Annie." — The local community put up a memorial for Pershal, who was known as “Granny Annie.”

Prosecutors said Pershal was struck five times with the pellet gun and died as a result of her injuries.

Prosecutors noted that the group Hopkins and Innes were sending messages to included about 150 other members, some of whom had been involved in dangerous stunts in the streets.

Innes, who allegedly fired the pellet gun, has been charged with murder, and Hopkins, who is accused of driving the teen to the scene, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges.