San Diego
A 19-year-old Pacific Beach woman pleaded innocent Thursday to a charge of murdering her father.
Shari Marie Nelson was ordered held on $400,000 bail by San Diego Municipal Court Judge Lillian Quon.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Louis Aragon said Nelson was named the beneficiary in two life insurance policies her father, Lawrence Nelson, 50, had taken out. The policies were valued at $10,000 and $15,000, Aragon said.
He said Nelson was attacked as he slept on the couch in the living room.
“She stabbed him eight times. We will note this crime is related to economic gain,” Aragon told the judge. In asking that no bail be set, the prosecutor said Nelson “was on her way out of the county when apprehended.”
Her attorney, Michael Popkins, had suggested a bail of $100,000, and the judge set a bail review hearing for Tuesday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 22.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
