Noah Mitchell Jackson appeared in blue jail clothes before San Diego Superior Court Judge Maureen Hallahan.
“Bail will remain as set at $2 million,” ruled Hallahan after attorneys submitted the bail issue without any arguments about bail.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Reilly said Jackson faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life if he is convicted of first-degree murder.
Attorneys did not go over the facts in court about the June 22, 2017 slaying of Riley, who was stabbed repeatedly around 12:30 a.m. in the 1900 block of Bacon Street.
A preliminary hearing was set for March 8. Reilly said it would likely be delayed at another hearing on March 6. It was given a time estimate of one day.
Riley sold aromatic burning sticks at the weekly OB Farmers Market and along Newport Avenue during the week, which accounts for his nickname.
A 911 caller said one man was attacking another on Bacon Street. Riley was taken to the UCSD Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Surveillance camera footage from a nearby business showed a man wearing a grey or white hooded sweatshirt leaving the area. The photo was published by media and TV stations and a $1,000 reward was offered for his arrest.
Jackson was located at a medical facility in Huntington Beach, and was arrested there on Feb. 20.