Man Acquitted in Slayings

A Sonoma County Superior Court jury acquitted Russell Glasgal, 23, of San Mateo of charges of murdering his millionaire parents. The trial, moved to Santa Rosa because of extensive publicity, was Glasgal’s second. The first proceeding in Redwood City ended in mistrial, with the jury deadlocked 7 to 5 for conviction. San Mateo County Dist. Atty. Jim Fox said he was “very disappointed,” because the evidence was “overwhelming.” Glasgal was charged with the September, 1983, bludgeoning murders of his orthodontist father, Robert, and artist mother, Sandra. Fox contended that Glasgal, a former USC business major, resented his parents’ unhappiness with his conduct and girlfriend, and the prosecutor suggested that the inheritance of one-third of the parents’ $4-million estate was a motive. The defendant insisted that he was innocent.