DEFENSE ATTORNEY SAYS CLIENT ATTACKED BY ONE OF STABBING VICTIMS.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

A defense attorney Monday gave a glimpse of the case that prosecutors anticipate battling in the trial of four youths charged with killing an Agoura Hills teen-ager and wounding his friend in May.

During arguments over the issue of self-defense, one of the four defense attorneys told the court he would attempt to show that James P. Farris III and Michael McLoren were stabbed during a fight and not during an attempt to steal marijuana from McLoren.

James Sussman said he did ``not intend to argue'' that his client, Micah Holland, joined the fight in McLoren's backyard fort to defend himself. Sussman said he ``will argue that Micah Holland was attacked by McLoren during a fight.''

McLoren survived what prosecutors contend was an attack by the four defendants attempting to steal marijuana from McLoren's backyard fort. Farris died from a stab wound to the heart, and McLoren recovered from three stab wounds.

The four defendants are Brandon Hein, 19, of Oak Park; Jason Holland, 19, of Thousand Oaks; Micah Holland, 16, of Thousand Oaks; and Tony Miliotti, 18, of Westlake Village. They have been charged with murder, attempted murder, burglary and two counts of attempted robbery.

California law permitted the Los Angeles County prosecutors to charge each of the defendants with the same serious offenses even if they cannot prove who actually stabbed the victims. The knife has never been recovered.

Each of the defendants also faces special allegations that they attacked the victims during an attempted robbery when McLoren refused to open a locked drawer containing marijuana.