Suspect charged in murder of man found outside Petaluma

Paul Coilton was arrested in San Jose after Sunday’s killing, authorities said. He appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday morning.

An Arizona man has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a man found Sunday along Stage Gulch Road near Petaluma.

Paul Elliot Coilton appeared in Sonoma County Superior Court on Wednesday, where prosecutors also charged him with shooting into a vehicle and possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon.

Each charge carries additional penalties due to the 59-year-old Salome resident’s criminal history and prior felony convictions.

Court records show previous convictions for a December 1983 robbery in San Francisco and an assault with a firearm in Stockton in February 1991.

Coilton was sentenced to three years in prison for the robbery and nine years for the assault.

On Wednesday, he appeared before Sonoma County Judge Laura Passaglia, who ordered him held without bail.

He was assigned an attorney with the Sonoma County Public Defender’s Office and will return to court on Nov. 27 to enter a plea.

A criminal complaint identified the victim as Steven Edward Lopez, but his age and hometown were not listed.

Four of Coilton’s friends and family attended the proceedings on Wednesday but declined to comment afterwards.

Coilton has been in custody at the Sonoma County Jail since his arrest early Monday in San Jose.

Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies responded Sunday afternoon to the 5000 block of Lakeville Highway, near the intersection with Stage Gulch Road, where they found a deceased man and nearby shell casings, officials said.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting have not been released, including what relationship, if any, between Coilton and Lopez or how the suspect ended up in San Jose.

The Sheriff’s Office initially reported that carjacking was one of the charges against Coilton. Prosecutors instead opted to leave the car shooting charge in place.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about the case to call the agency at 707-565-2121.

You can reach staff writer Colin Atagi at [email protected]. On Twitter @colin_atagi