Officer Testifies Suspect Confessed to Strangling

A Panorama City man accused of stabbing and strangling the manager of his apartment building confessed to police that he killed the woman to keep her “from ratting on him,” a Los Angeles police officer testified Friday.

Detective Mel Arnold said Mark Alan Bradford told police he killed Lynia Kokes, 28, after raping and sodomizing her in her apartment in the 9500 block of Van Nuys Boulevard.

Bradford, 25, is accused of strangling Kokes with a belt and stabbing her in the chest April 18 at the Panorama City Lodge, where Kokes was moving in to become the on-site manager, Deputy Dist. Atty. Lisa Kahn said.

The testimony came at Bradford’s preliminary hearing before Municipal Court Judge Aviva K. Bobb on charges of murder, rape, sodomy, robbery and burglary. Bradford also is charged with two special circumstance allegations that qualify for the death penalty: murder in the course of a rape and sodomy, and killing a witness to prevent her from testifying.

Decision Delayed

Bobb delayed until Monday a decision on whether there is sufficient evidence to hold Bradford for trial.

Bradford’s roommate, Randall Beerman, testified that Bradford told him he was going to help the new apartment manager move in. Later, Beerman said, Bradford returned and said: “I’ll bet you money I get her in bed.”

Bradford returned with his knuckles bloody and said he had quarreled with the manager and had struck a wall with his fist in anger, Beerman testified.

Bradford vomited, Beerman said, and the two men went to wash the towels Bradford used to wipe the floor. Later, while removing the towels from the washing machine, Beerman said he found a knife blade in the washer.

Bradford seemed nervous and asked for a ride to Fresno, saying he was going to be evicted because of the fight with the manager, Beerman said. He said he was unaware of the slaying until police and paramedics came.

Police were called after Kokes’ husband, Alex, came home and found her dead at about 8:40 p.m., several hours after the killing. The couple’s infant son was with a baby-sitter at the time of Kokes’ murder, Kahn said.