Accused of Beating Film Executive to Death : Maid Arraigned in Slaying of Producer

The live-in maid of a veteran Woodland Hills movie producer whose bludgeoned body was found in the back seat of his burning car two months ago was arraigned on a murder charge Wednesday in Van Nuys Municipal Court.

Mayra Melenez Lopez, 25, a Salvadoran national, was arrested Tuesday at the home of her slain employer, former 20th Century Fox executive Herbert Wallerstein, 59, on suspicion of beating him to death with a baseball bat, Los Angeles police said. She had worked for the family 6 1/2 years.

Pleaded Not Guilty

Lopez pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 11.

Saying it might affect the investigation, Detective Joseph Diglio, an investigator in the case, refused to disclose a motive at a press conference Wednesday, although he ruled out robbery.

However, Deputy Dist. Atty. Ed Consiglio said that Lopez told investigators she acted in self-defense when Wallerstein returned home Sept. 27 from a trip to the market. The maid told police that Wallerstein was in a foul mood and kicked the dog, then attacked her, according to Consiglio. She said she fought back with the bat, Consiglio said.

Diglio confirmed that Wallerstein was killed in his home and said there was evidence of a struggle in the room in which the slaying took place. After the slaying, he said, the body was placed in the victim’s 1982 Dodge Charger in the home’s driveway and driven to the 5000 block of Boda Place, about a quarter-mile away, where the car was found burning two days later.

Lopez told authorities that she called a friend who helped her put Wallerstein’s body in the back seat of the car and drive it to the Boda Place address, Consiglio said.

Wallerstein’s body was found by firefighters Sept. 29 in the burning car. Witnesses told police they saw a woman fitting Lopez’s description fleeing the scene, investigators said. Police said the car was set on fire to destroy evidence.

Lopez was taken into custody after several objects--including the murder weapon, Wallerstein’s wallet, identification and credit cards--connecting the woman to her employer’s death were found buried near the Wallerstein home, Diglio said. She had continued to work for the family, which whom she maintained a good relationship, until the day of her arrest, the detective said.

Victim’s Relatives in Mexico

Wallerstein’s wife and son were in Mexico when the producer was slain and when the maid was arrested, police said.

Detectives said no other suspects are being sought at this time but that the investigation is continuing. Lopez, who is being held without bail at Sybil Brand Institute, might be charged with arson as well as murder at the preliminary hearing, Diglio said.

Wallerstein resigned last winter as senior vice president of feature-film production at 20th Century Fox. He most recently produced the pilot film for the ABC-TV series “Lady Blue.” Friends and colleagues said he was respected in the industry.