A Wildomar man accused of killing his 74-year-old mother faces a formal arraignment at Murrieta's Southwest Justice Center on a first-degree murder charge.

John Tyler Scott, 52, is charged with first-degree murder, elder abuse and a sentencing enhancement for allegedly injuring a person over 70. The charges stem from the death of Bonnie Thompson, a Wildomar resident, according to Patch, citing City News Service.

The Press-Enterprise identified Thompson as Scott's mother.

Scott appeared Tuesday, Sept. 15, before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Judith Clark. Clark appointed him a public defender and scheduled his formal arraignment for Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Southwest Justice Center.

Scott is being held without bail at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in the French Valley area near Murrieta.

The case dates to July 27, 2025.

Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. Carlos Mendoza said patrol deputies responded around 4:30 p.m. that day to Thompson's residence in the 33000 block near Bundy Canyon Road. They were investigating suspicious circumstances. Thompson had been dead for days when deputies arrived, and unspecified "factors" pointed to foul play, according to court documents and Mendoza.

Thompson's exact cause of death has not been disclosed.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department Central Homicide Unit took over the investigation in July 2025. Over the following months, detectives gathered enough evidence to obtain an arrest warrant. That warrant was served on Scott on Friday, Sept. 11, in the area of Harvest Way and Bundy Canyon Road, according to the Press-Enterprise. He was taken into custody without incident.

Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive. Scott has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact Riverside County Sheriff's investigator DiMaggio at 951-955-2777.