CITY OFFERS $25,000 REWARD IN ROBBERY-SLAYINGS CASE.

Byline: Dominic Berbeo Staff Writer

WEST HILLS - Police believe the gruesome slayings of an elderly West Hills couple occurred during a robbery and say the killer used the pair's car to haul away some of their possessions.

Investigators, in officially announcing a $25,000 reward Thursday for information leading to a conviction, gave the fullest picture of the Feb. 4 killings of William and Bertha Lasky so far.

Police don't have a suspect, and are hoping the reward will produce new leads.

``We want to dispel any rumors that the family was involved, that it was a hate crime or there was a sexual assault,'' said Los Angeles Police Department Detective David Lambkin. ``None of those things are true.''

But Lambkin said the victims might have known the killer.

Neighborhood residents are still shaken about the violent crime.

``This has been more than shocking,'' said one neighbor who declined to give her name. ``It was dreadful. Every day we have to look at those boarded-up windows.''

``I've lived here for 20 years and we don't see this kind of terrible thing here,'' said a second uneasy neighbor who also would not give her name. ``We're all still shaken up. I hope they catch them soon.''

Lambkin said the couple was confronted at their home in the 7200 block of Pomelo Drive in the late afternoon or early evening on Feb. 4, a day earlier than previously thought. Police said the couple were slashed and killed that day and the killer evidently loaded up their burgundy red 1995 Buick Regal, license plate 3LCK022, before returning it to their garage.

``Because of the mileage, we believe the suspect may live somewhere within a 50-mile radius of the victims' home,'' Lambkin said.

Although the Laskys had been shopping earlier in the day, police say they don't believe it was a follow-home crime. There were no signs of forced entry into the house.

The bodies were found early the next morning when firefighters responded to a blaze at the home that apparently had been started to cover up the crime.

Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at 6:20 a.m. Feb. 5 and found the

couple dead in the master bedroom in the back of the house, police said. The weapon has not been recovered.

Authorities said the stolen merchandise includes a 14-karat yellow gold chain with a 14-karat white gold pendant and two round-cut diamonds, a gold bracelet, a 14-karat gold watch with the word ``Geneve'' on the face, a pair of gold earrings with white center stones, a gold nugget-type ring with cut diamonds, a Canon AE-1 camera, a Vivitar Series-1 70-210 millimeter zoom lens, a Sony 27-inch Trinitron television, a Phillips Magnavox VRX262AT videocassette recorder, and a set of silver flatware in a dark wooden storage box.

Officers have notified pawn shops to be on the lookout for the items.

William Lasky, 76, and his wife, Bertha, 73, reportedly had just returned from a cruise to the Caribbean the week before the incident, family and neighbors said.

Police said no witnesses have come forward, and that there were few clues to help them solve the crime.

The $25,000 reward offered by the city is expected to receive final approval today by the City Council on a motion by Councilwoman Laura Chick.

``The murders of William and Bertha Lasky were horrible, violent, and have deeply shaken and frightened this entire community,'' Chick said. ``These senior citizens, married for over 50 years, loved by family, friends and neighbors - for us to lose them like this is more than tragic, it is simply unacceptable.''

Anyone with information on the crime or the stolen property is asked to contact the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division at [phone] or, after business hours, [phone].

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(color) Bertha and William Lasky were slain in their home.