1979 Torrance murder suspect's mother a no-show in court
The 87-year-old mother of Douglas Bradford, an Orange County engineer accused of the 1979 murder of Torrance registered nurse Lynne Knight, was supposed to appear in Torrance Superior Court this morning so the attorneys could question her and save her statements on video.
The District Attorney's A/V squad was all set-up, along with a camera crew from NBC's Dateline, but Mona Norma Bradford did not show.
A woman who may or may not be her attorney (it really wasn't clear) told Judge Laura Ellison that she called Mrs. Bradford's cell phone, heard rustling and whispering, then someone say, 'I'm in the hospital," according to Los Angeles Superior Court Public Information Officer Allan Parachini.
Ellison told her that Mrs. Bradford needed to report to court today, or she will issue a $50,000 warrant for her arrest.
I'm standing by and ready to run back to court if I hear she shows up.
Meanwhile, the NBC crew ran into a bit of trouble because they defied the court's order to not film anyone in the audience. Parachini said he demanded the cameraman to delete the recording, but he seemed to be resisting and trying to find a way around it - like "digitizing" the film to obscure faces. Parachini seemed pretty adamant that the recording was not going to leave the courthouse.
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Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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Why was the mother testifying? Is she suspected of wrongdoing or are they just trying to record her testimony about the case because of her advanced age?
Dan: It appears they don't know exactly what she'll say, but want to preserve whatever she may or may not know for the record because of her age. My last story on this is the top hyperlink in this entry that explains it a little better!