Local News in Brief : 2 Held in Murder Attempt
Two would-be contract killers have been charged with attempting to murder a wealthy physician in his Hollywood home on behalf of his son, officials said Wednesday.
The victim’s son, David Ellis, 21, was arrested last month on suspicion of offering to pay $90,000 for his father’s murder, but was released due to insufficient evidence.
Police, however, continue to look for evidence to corroborate statements by the two other suspects that Ellis hired one of them to kill his father, who is worth “close to $3 million,” Los Angeles Police Detective Ernesto Basset said.
The victim, Dr. Robert Ellis Sr., 55, was in bed when he was shot in the head and chest with four rounds from a .357-caliber revolver Dec. 2. He survived the attack and is recovering at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Charged in the case are Thomas M. Callahan, 27, of Los Angeles, and Eric Barnes, 22, of Hollywood. Callahan has told police “that he was solicited by David Ellis to kill his father,” Basset wrote in a search warrant affidavit, while Barnes “admitted to shooting Robert Ellis and trying to kill him.”
The two men are being held without bail pending a preliminary hearing Feb 4.
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