The illegal alien accused of murdering 33-year-old Newman, California police officer Ronil Singh the day after Christmas last year has pleaded not guilty.

The day after Christmas, Singh pulled Gustavo Perez Arriaga over on suspicion of drunk driving. That is when police say the illegal alien shot Singh. Over his police radio, Singh called out, “shots fired,” and as police arrived at the scene of the traffic stop, they found the officer with a gunshot wound.

Singh was transported to a nearby hospital where he later died, leaving behind his wife Anamika, their newborn five-month-old son, and the mourning Newman community.

Perez Arriaga was arrested in December 2018 for the killing of Singh — a legal immigrant from Fiji — but was officially charged with the murder of the law enforcement officer in January. The illegal alien, whom authorities said is a “known” gang member, had been caught by police after a more than 50-hour manhunt. Police said seven illegal alien friends and family members, all of whom have been indicted, aided Perez Arriaga in attempting to flee the U.S.

This week, Perez Arriaga pleaded not guilty to murdering Singh, according to the Modesto Bee. The illegal alien is eligible for the death penalty, though prosecutors have yet to confirm whether they will seek the death penalty in the murder trial.

Singh’s brother Reggie Singh, also a legal immigrant from Fiji, previously said the murder was preventable if not for California’s expansive sanctuary state policy whereby local law enforcement officials are banned from turning criminal illegal aliens over to federal immigration officials.

Last year, alone, ICE agents arrested nearly 1,700 illegal aliens convicted of homicide and deported more than a quarter of a million illegal aliens, including nearly 6,000 known or convicted illegal alien gang members.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.