5 SUSPECTS WON'T BE CHARGED LACK OF EVIDENCE CITED IN GLENDALE CASE.Byline: Donna Huffaker and Beth Barrett Staff Writers GLENDALE - Two adults and three juveniles arrested on suspicion of kidnapping as part of the Glendale police investigation into the playground slayings of two teen-agers have been released, authorities said Tuesday. Prosecutors declined to file charges, citing insufficient evidence insufficient evidence n. a finding (decision) by a trial judge or an appeals court that the prosecution in a criminal case or a plaintiff in a lawsuit has not proved the case because the attorney did not present enough convincing evidence. , officials said. Cristina E. Kim , 20, of La Crescenta; Joseph Sung Song, 18, of La Crescenta; two boys, 16 and 17; and a girl, 17, were arrested on Sunday for alleged attempted kidnapping. The arrests resulted from the investigation of, but were not connected to, the killing of Blaine Talmo Jr., 14, of Glendale and Christopher McCulloch Christopher McCulloch (born September 14 1971) is the creator, director, and co-writer (with Doc Hammer) of The Venture Bros., all done under the pseudonym Jackson Publick. , 13, of La Canada Flintridge on July 23, law enforcement officials said. ``The charges were declined pending further investigation,'' said Sandi Gibbons Famous people named Gibbons include:
Glendale Police Department spokesman Sgt. Rick Young declined to comment, saying he could not break a department gag order A court order to gag or bind an unruly defendant or remove her or him from the courtroom in order to prevent further interruptions in a trial. In a trial with a great deal of notoriety, a court order directed to attorneys and witnesses not to discuss the case with the media—such on the case. The new development came as Michael H. Demirdjian, 15, of La Crescenta pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and also denied the special circumstances special circumstances n. in criminal cases, particularly homicides, actions of the accused or the situation under which the crime was committed for which state statutes allow or require imposition of a more severe punishment. of double murder, torture and robbery, said his lawyer Charles Mathews Charles Mathews (June 28, 1776 - June 28, 1835) was an English theatre manager and comic actor, well-known during his time for his gift for impersonation. His play, At Home, in which he played every character, was the first monopolylogue and the defining work in the genre. . Mathews, who had his petition to have the case heard in Juvenile Court juvenile court Special court handling problems of delinquent, neglected, or abused children. Two types of cases are processed by a juvenile court: civil matters, often concerning care of an abandoned or impoverished child, and criminal matters, arising from antisocial denied, said Demirdjian witnessed part of the killings, and has told police who committed them. ``My client did not commit any crime at all. They were his friends,'' Mathews said of Talmo and McCulloch. He said Demirdjian, Talmo and McCulloch spent the Saturday together going to New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Park in La Crescenta, a Subway sandwich store, a Vons grocery store, another friend's house and back to the park before they all trekked to Valley View Elementary School where the slayings took place. Demirdjian was at the playground during part of the crime, Mathews said. ``Only one person is actually involved in the killing,'' he added, declining to discuss additional details, including a motive. The Glendale Police Department's handling of the murder investigation has come under scrutiny after it arrested another man on suspicion of the murders, then dropped the charges citing insufficient evidence. That individual, Adam Walker, 19, of La Crescenta, last week was charged in an unrelated burglary in Burbank. The failure to obtain filings on the five people on attempted kidnapping charges further raised questions about the handling of the case. Young said it is common to arrest suspects who subsequently are released pending additional investigation, and denied the department is having problems with the case. ``No one can find we're running amok
Running amok, sometimes referred to as simply amok (also spelled amuck or amuk ,'' Young said. ``We're working within the confines of the law.'' Eric W. Lee, the attorney for Kim, said his client had no connection to the murders, and that she didn't know Talmo or McCulloch, whose badly beaten bodies were found at the elementary school in Glendale. ``My client has absolutely no connection to (the victims). (Her arrest) was unjustifiable,'' he said. Song could not be reached for comment. The school district on Wednesday dismantled and removed the playground equipment where the bodies were found. |
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