2 Youths Ordered to Stand Trial in Slaying of 52-Year-Old Woman : Crime: ‘They’re being railroaded,’ says the father of one suspect. ‘They are just some black kids who were in the vicinity of where there was a murder--that’s just it.’
ALTADENA — Two Altadena teen-agers with no criminal records have been ordered to stand trial in the brutal murder of a woman at the end of the Los Angeles riots last spring.
O’Dell Whitley Jr., 18, and Leonard Hampton, 17, are accused by authorities of fatally stabbing Lucie Maronian, 52, in her Altadena home May 1, after trying to steal a beeper from a friend of Maronian’s son.
Whitley and Hampton, who will be tried as adults, are to be arraigned on first-degree murder charges in Pasadena Superior Court on Sept. 14. Because the special circumstance of attempted robbery is alleged, Whitley could face the death penalty if convicted. Hampton faces life without possibility of parole because he was not 18 when the crime was committed.
But the teen-agers’ friends and relatives, who packed the Pasadena Municipal Courtroom during last week’s three-day preliminary hearing, claim that the two are not capable of such a vicious killing.
“They’re being railroaded,†O’Dell Whitley Sr. said, adding that his son is a good student who regularly attends church and plays on John Muir High School’s varsity basketball team. “They are just some black kids who were in the vicinity of where there was a murder--that’s just it.â€
Raffi Maronian, 14, discovered his mother’s body in the living room of the family home about 10 minutes after he and his friend were chased down the street by teen-agers whom authorities have identified as Hampton and Whitley.
Raffi Maronian fled from his assailants and ran into his back yard a few houses away. He tried to open the back door to get in his house, but the door was locked. The boy and his friend then hid inside a guest house in the back yard for a few minutes.
When they came out, Raffi Maronian said, the back door to the main house was open and they discovered that Lucie Maronian was dead. Authorities charge that while the younger boys were hiding in the guest house, Hampton and Whitley entered the home and killed Lucie Maronian.
However, authorities conceded that they have no physical evidence to show that the two teen-agers ever entered the house. A wallet stolen from Lucie Maronian’s purse has not been recovered.
During the preliminary hearing, the case against Whitley and Hampton hinged on the testimony of another youth, who was initially charged with the murder and who later agreed to testify against his schoolmates if prosecutors dropped the murder charge.
Michael Williams, 17, of Pasadena testified that he, Hampton, Whitley and a fourth friend were driving home after looting an Arcadia sporting goods store when they spotted Raffi Maronian and his friend walking down Allen Avenue near the Armenian Cultural Center.
Williams said that he pointed out the beeper to Hampton, who said he wanted to steal it. Hampton and Whitley got out of the car and began chasing the boys down the street, Williams said.
Meanwhile, Williams said he drove around the block to put the stolen hats and shoes in his trunk, where they could not be seen.
When Williams returned to the Armenian Cultural Center about 10 minutes later, Whitley and Hampton were sitting on a brick wall of the parking lot, waiting for him.
When they got in the car, Williams testified, Hampton said: “I stabbed a lady.†But Williams said he did not ask his friends any questions and he could not provide further details. “I just took a glance and kept on driving,†he testified.
After his testimony Friday, Williams, who earlier pleaded guilty to one count of attempted robbery and one count of burglary, was released on his own recognizance pending sentencing.
Friends of Hampton and Whitley said they believe that Williams is lying to save himself. “You would have to be really, really upset at somebody to kill like that,†Whitley’s father said. “My son has no reason to be that angry.â€
Lawyers for Hampton and Whitley speculate that Maronian was murdered by someone else earlier in the day. They noted that Raffi Maronian and his friend heard no screams or calls for help while they were hiding in the guest house.
“This event could have occurred before the arrival of the children,†said Whitley’s defense attorney, Earl Broady Jr. “I think she died before those kids got there.â€
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