Arraignment for Isaac Campbell, 32, accused of killing his girlfriend Liya "Jessie" Lu, ,31,  then stuffing her body in a trash can filled with kitty litter was postponed again Tuesday, officials said.

Apparently the Los Angeles Department of Coroner is having a difficult time determining the cause of Lu's death, and therefore Campbell cannot be arraigned, according to officials who spoke to Pasadena Star-News reporter Fred Ortega at the Alhambra courthouse. The arraignment was continued until the end of next month, officials said.

Students at PCC, where Lu was a nursing student have been folowing the case via the PCC Courier, which carried this report by Franco Sui Yuan:

One time PCC student Isaac Campbell, suspected in slaying former PCC student Liya Jessie Lu, will make a new appearance on court, after his arraignment was postponed today at the Alhambra Courthouse.

Superior Court Judge Carlos Uranga postponed the arraignment to May 6 due to the tardiness in receiving the Coroner’s report.

The report contains the information of Lu’s cause of death.

“We still don’t have a copy of the [Coroner’s] report,” said Deputy District Attorney and Prosecutor Steve Ipson. “Hopefully it will be available soon.”

Campbell spent several weeks on the lam in connection with the Aug. 11 disappearance and death of Lu before he was captured in Minneapolis in September.

Lu had been reported missing on Aug. 11 after she was dropped off at Campbell's apartment in San Gabriel, authorities said. Her car, a Mazda Miata, was also reported missing.

The car was recovered in the same Arcadia back yard where Lu's body was found, according to a friend of the homeowner who asked to remain anonymous.

Just prior to Campbell's capture, detectives held a news conference asking for assistance locating him. Among the information released at the news conference were details that indicated Lu's body was covered with kitty litter after being stuffed in a 90-gallon plastic trash can.

That information combined with several Internet posts on this blog and Usenet newsgroups helped lead investigators to Campbell, Sheriff's homicide Lt. Gil Carrillo said.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 9:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Due to some technical issues, Thursday's column was much shorter in print and online than I had originally written it. (In other words I wrote long and space was short). You probably notice in reading it that it's pretty much a follow up to Sam Quinones excellent piece in yesterday's LAT.

I've heard that Quinones attended every day of trial and was able to score some interviews that I couldn't get. Most notably no one from the Azusa PD returned calls Wednesday to discuss Ralph Flores, Azusa 13 or the impact and aftermath of the spree of hate crimes that plagued Azusa between 1998 and 2004.

Complete column after the jump...

Continue reading "Thursday's column" »

Posted by Frank Girardot at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This comes from the District Attorney's office. What's scary about this press release is how young these suspects are. Here's an excerpt:

LONG BEACH – Two teenage boys were charged as adults today in connection with a gang-related murder last summer.

Deputy District Attorney LaChandra Wilkerson of Hardcore Gang Division said Eric Antonio Benites, 15 (dob 09/29/92), and Jason Trejo, 14 (dob 09/26/93), are due to be arraigned this afternoon at Long Beach Superior Court, Department J.

Benites and Trejo are each charged in case No. NA077735 with one count of murder, four counts of attempted murder and one count of assault with a firearm with special allegations that the offense was committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang and that the defendants were at least 14 years old at the time of the offense. Benites also is charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of possession of live ammunition by a minor.

Benites is accused of killing 16-year-old Florentino Rivera to avenge his younger brother’s murder. Benites’ brother, Jose Cano, 13, was killed June 26, 2007 by rival gang members. Media reports allege that Benites turned on his brother’s gang associates when they failed to retaliate following his murder.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 6:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The letter was postmarked Feb. 2 in Manchester, New Hampshire and received about seven days later, D.A. Spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said Wednesday.

"It was a one-page typed letter," Gibbons said. "It was given to an investigator in the criminal division." Gibbons did not say what information the letter contains.

Jennifer Lopez Dejongh, 30, of Diamond Bar, has been missing with Miller's three grandchildren since November. In a 16-page handwritten letter sent to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Dejongh defended her actions. She said the three boys were safe and that she took them from what she called an abusive father.

That letter was postmarked February 2 from New Hampshire without a return address.

Investigators have searched for the family throughout the United States, initially believing they were in Las Vegas or Ogden, Utah, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Detective Mark Martinovich. They have also explored possibilities in Mexico and Canada, authorities said.

Also investigating the disappearance are the FBI and the U.S. Marshal's office.

The letter to the Tribune outlines Dejongh's side of a bitter custody dispute with Miller's son, Brian, who is the father of her children.

U.S. Rep. Miller said his son "is in misery over his kids."

Brian Miller has not commented on the case.

http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvcrime

Posted by Frank Girardot at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I have no idea if this caller was serious, but the person was apparently affected by the news that Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley earned a raise from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors earlier this week.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)