WHITTIER : Trial Starts Wednesday in 1977 Beating Death
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A man who confessed that he helped beat an elderly woman to death 17 years ago is scheduled to stand trial Wednesday in Norwalk Superior Court.
Julian A. Imperial, 38, is accused of killing Mary R. Stein, 73, during a burglary of her apartment on Pickering Avenue. He is charged with first-degree murder while committing a burglary and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Judge Alfonso D. Hermo of Whittier Municipal Court set the trial date during a recent preliminary hearing.
Imperial told Whittier police in August that he and another man broke into Stein’s apartment the evening of Oct. 4, 1977, and fatally beat her while she was in her bed.
He said his religious beliefs finally compelled him to turn himself in. “I’m tired of running from the Lord,” he said in an interview.
Imperial has pleaded not guilty.
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