San Diego realtor accused in fatal shooting of homeless man pleads not guilty

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- A longtime San Diego real estate broker accused of fatally shooting a homeless man in City Heights made his first court appearance on Wednesday.

Prosecutors say 72-year-old Keith Rose shot and killed 52-year-old Mark Edward Tome on Sept. 23 in an alley near University Avenue and 43rd Street. Rose pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in San Diego County Superior Court.

Surveillance video shows a man believed to be Rose walking into the alley before Tome was shot, police said. Investigators later identified the suspect as Rose, who lived in an apartment building less than 100 yards from the scene.

Neighbors told reporters Rose had lived in the building for decades and ran his business, Rose Real Estate, out of his apartment above Payless Furniture Source. One man, who asked not to be identified, said his family had worked with Rose in the past.

“He was a real estate broker that my family worked with a lot with investment properties,” the man said, describing Rose as professional but sometimes demeaning in his interactions.

Investigators have not released a motive, though one witness told reporters the suspect had been irritated by noise from unhoused people who often camped in the alley.

“We are very shocked by the events that happened, but we are not surprised,” the former business associate said. “A human loss is a human loss.”

Rose is being held without bail and is scheduled to return to court Dec. 2.