Ryan Hewitt of Corona for Brutal Fatal Carjacking
RIVERSIDE (CNS) – A 30-year-old man accused of carjacking a senior in Norco and dragging the victim to his death must stand trial for first-degree murder and other charges, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Ryan Hewitt of Corona was arrested last year following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the killing of 79-year-old James Norman of Corona.
At the end of a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Helios Hernandez found there was sufficient evidence to bind Hewitt over for trial on the murder count, as well as carjacking, elder abuse resulting in death, hit-and-run resulting in death and a special circumstance allegation of killing in the course of a theft.
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for June 29 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Hewitt is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Kelleher, the deadly theft occurred at 12:20 p.m. on May 27, 2025, in the 600 block of Hidden Valley Parkway, less than a mile east of Interstate 15.
Deputies were sent to the location in response to 911 calls and learned from witnesses that a man had been carjacked. Kelleher said that as the investigation was unfolding, deputies were informed by Corona police officers that Norman had been found lying on Hidden Valley, east of where he’d been carjacked.
The victim was taken to a regional trauma center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, according to the sergeant.
Witnesses told investigators that a man had jumped into the driver’s seat of the SUV and sped away on the four-lane corridor, with Norman “partially inside the rear seat,” hanging half out of the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s department.
“The victim was dragged and ejected from the vehicle,” the agency stated.
Central Homicide Unit detectives learned from Riverside police that the victim’s SUV had been found near the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Polk Street.
Detectives confirmed the identity of the alleged assailant, Hewitt, and the 6-foot-5-inch defendant was taken into custody without incident at Magnolia and Tyler Street less than a week later.
For More Law and Disorder News Visit www.zapinin.com
