Edward L. “TD” Thomas, 25, will remain incarcerated on a probation hold and $600,000 bond after appearing in Superior Court today via video from the Spokane County Jail, where he was booked just after 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Thomas, wearing a dark blue jail jumpsuit, appeared stoic in court, replying “Yes, your honor,” to each of Judge Annette Plese’s procedural questions. Described by police as a member of a Compton, Calif.,-based gang, Thomas was arrested Sept. 9 in Los Angeles on Spokane County warrants charging him with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. He’s also charged with bail jumping for an unrelated robbery case and with escape from community custody.

Thomas stopped checking in with his probation officer around the time of the Jan. 17 shooting death of John S. Williams, 38.

Police say Thomas shot Williams in the face outside a birthday party for a reputed gang member at 5405 N. Crestline Street. He’s also accused of trying to kill Williams’ son during the shooting.

Police believe the shooting resulted from lingering tensions between Thomas and a rival gang member who has a child with the mother of Thomas’ child. The rival, who reportedly belonged to the same gang as Williams, was with Williams’ son when he pulled a gun on Thomas a couple weeks before the party, and Thomas felt he needed to retaliate, police said.

One witness told police there was a feud brewing between older Spokane gang members like Williams and younger members like Thomas.

Six other men were charged in connection with the homicide. Cedric E. “Dirty” Burton, 23, sentenced to five years in prison this month for driving Thomas from the murder.

Past coverage:

June 3: Seven charged in January gang murder

A Spokane gang member accused of shooting to death a rival outside a party in January was arrested today in Compton, Calif., police announced tonight.

 Edward L. “TD” Thomas, 25, wanted since June for first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, was captured by the fugitive squad of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Compton station, according to a news release by Matt Rose of the Spokane Violent Crime Gang Enforcement Team.

Spokane police detectives have been in close contact with Southern California law enforcement regarding the Jan. 17 murder of John S. Williams, 38, because “many of the suspects were known to have ties to the South Central Los Angeles area,” Rose said.

Police say Thomas shot Williams in the face outside a birthday party for a reputed gang member at 5405 N. Crestline Street. He’s also accused of trying to kill Williams’ son during the shooting.

Police believe the shooting resulted from lingering tensions between Thomas and a rival gang member who has a child with the mother of Thomas’ child. The rival, who reportedly belonged to the same gang as Williams, had pulled a gun on Thomas a couple weeks before the party, and Thomas felt he needed to retaliate, police said.

One witness told police there was a feud brewing between older Spokane gang members like Williams and younger members like Thomas.

Six men are accused of helping Thomas avoid arrest or of lying to police to cover up the murder. Five - Eric “Smalls” Burton, Jr., 25; Cedric E. “Dirty” Burton, 23; John E. Burton, 27; James Henderson, 33; Christopher J. “Baby Boy” Route, 24 - have been arrested. Only Marc A. “Bookie” Carter remains at large.

Police say most of the men are cousins; Cedric and John Burton are half-brothers.

Route, Thomas, Cedric Burton and Eric Burton were convicted of felony assault or riot for a January 2005 gang murder outside Crazy 8’s bar. Demetrius Route was convicted of that murder and remains in prison. Deric D. Burton was convicted of two counts of second-degree assault and conspiracy to commit first-degree assault. He also remains in prison.

Past coverage:

June 4: Seven face charges in shooting death

March 9: Homicide case not a ‘simple’ investigation

A man named in an ongoing homicide investigation is wanted on an escape from community custody charge.

Edward L. “TD” Thomas, 24, hasn’t been located by his Department of Corrections supervisor since on or about Jan. 19, according to Superior Court documents filed last month.

Now he’s wanted on two felony charges of escape from community custody and bail jumping. The bail jumping allegedly occurred in June 2009 on a first-degree robbery and second-degree assault case.

Thomas is believed to have been at the party on Jan. 17 in which John S. Williams was shot to death.

One witness told detectives that Williams was shot to death after he punched out a passenger-side window in a car in which Thomas was riding, according to court documents. “His whereabouts are currently unknown,” prosecutors wrote of Thomas.

Thomas has a felony conviction for riot resulting from an incident two years ago in which a woman was attacked and her purse stolen at 6128 N. Wiscomb.

Also charged in that case is Cedric E. Burton, who remains in jail.

Thomas and Burton were charged in a gang-related murder in 2005. Both have been named in documents related to the ongoing Williams’ murder investigation.