Third man charged in murder of man who came to his grandfather's aid during robbery
A third man was charged Tuesday with capital murder in the shooting death of a 24-year-old man who came to his grandfather's aid during a robbery last month. Edwin Alexander Bonilla, 27, was scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in Van Nuys Superior Court on charges stemming from the Jan. 9 shooting death of Danilo Estuardo Morales. Bonilla is charged with one count each of murder, attempted murder, assault with a firearm and second-degree robbery. The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a robbery.
Los Angeles Daily News

Jeffrey Minifie charged with murder: He allegedly kidnapped girlfriend, killed her in high-speed LAPD pursuit
An insane car crash in Westlake last Thursday was overshadowed by two other big L.A. crime stories that day: the guy who shot up a Hollywood apartment before setting it on fire, and the ICE-officer shooting in Long Beach. But the crimes of alleged kidnapper Jeffrey Minifie, 39, whose passenger died in the heat of an LAPD pursuit will not go unpunished. The L.A. County District Attorney's Office has charged Minifie with kidnapping and murdering his 36-year-old girlfriend, Lilian Janeth Pleitez -- a mother of two daughters, 7 and 13, and a son, 15.
LA Weekly

Trio of women, including possible mother-daughter team, arrested in 'distraction burglaries' in Koreatown
When you think of burglary crews in L.A., you almost always think of bad boys. Yeah? But cops today say they nabbed a trio of break-in artists and, unusually, they're ladies. Not only that, but it appears two of them could be a mother-daughter team, or at least related. Yeah, the LAPD says the three are responsible for at least two "distraction burglaries" in Koreatown last week.
LA Weekly

Parolee pleads to slashing Halloween partiers in Hollywood subway
A 25-year-old transient pleaded no contest to assault charges for using a box cutter to slash two Halloween partygoers at a Metro Red Line station last year, prosecutors said Tuesday. In addition to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, Lang David Dunbar agreed to a plea deal, admitting to great bodily injury and personal use of a deadly weapon, in this case a knife. Dunbar is scheduled to be sentenced March 22 by L.A. County Superior Court Judge Terry Bork. Under the negotiated settlement, Dunbar is expected to be sentenced to eight years and four months in state prison.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD looks for naked man who followed woman in his car
Police Tuesday were looking for a man who was naked as he followed a woman in his car from a bus stop in Van Nuys. The man has followed several women in a silver 4-door compact vehicle, the Los Angeles Police Department said. "At least one victim noticed the suspect was actually nude in the vehicle," the LAPD said in a crime advisory. The man is described as white and about 30 to 35. He is 6-feet tall and has brown hair and brown eyes, police said.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD needs helps finding missing Fla. woman
Authorities need your help finding a missing Florida woman. Jessica Barbour, 33, landed at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday night. She was supposed to meet a driver and go to a treatment center in Pasadena, but officials say she never met the driver. Family members say Barbour may be in need of medical care for an undisclosed condition. She's described at a white woman with brown hair and eyes, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 105 pounds. Barbour was last seen wearing a pink and brown stripped shirt, pink jeans and brown high heels.
ABC7

Man stabbed to death in suspected gang argument in Pico-Union
Los Angeles police Tuesday evening were investigating a suspected gang-related attack that left one man dead from multiple stab wounds in the Pico-Union neighborhood. The knife attack was sparked by an argument between two reputed gang members about 2 p.m in the 1500 block of South Normandie Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The victim was stabbed repeatedly. His name and age were not released. Police took a man in his 20s into custody in connection with the attack, Officer Karen Rayner said.
Los Angeles Times

California city and county pensions in trouble, report says
Many of California's biggest local governments spend an average of 10 cents of every dollar covering pension costs, according to a study of the largest independent pension plans released Tuesday. The study, by Stanford professor and former Assemblyman Joe Nation and a junior at the school who is a member of a nonprofit that studies California governance, examines plans for cities and counties that do not rely on the state's largest public pension group, CalPERS.
Los Angeles Times

California lawmaker wants to put brakes on naming of freeways, bridges
Drive around California and you might find yourself on the Glenn Anderson Freeway or the Sonny Bono Freeway, named after two deceased congressmen, or the Quentin Kopp Freeway, which is named after a retired state senator who is still alive. There are hundreds of signs identifying freeways, bridges and tunnels named after politicians, civil servants, war heroes, fallen officers and others, and now one state lawmaker is trying to put the brakes on the growing practice.
Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles mayor sets sights on a bigger stage
With a little more than one year left in the final term in office for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a reappraisal of him is under way amid signs that he is orchestrating a shift in his political fortunes. Mr. Villaraigosa's name has returned to the small list of next-generation Democrats who have been waiting in the wings as members of the old guard of California politics move closer to retirement.
New York Times