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Local News in Brief : 2 Men Arrested in Slaying of Couple

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Two Los Angeles men were arrested Friday on suspicion of murder in the deaths Tuesday of a Mid-City couple, whose bodies were found in their arson-gutted apartment, police said.

Lonnie Lewis, 28, was arrested in Green River, Utah, and his brother Jerome Martin, 21, was arrested in Denver, Los Angeles Police Sgt. Wayne Horton said. Another suspect, Derek Bloodworth, 25, was arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Police identified the couple found inside a closet of the burned-out apartment as Lee Gottstein, 57, and his wife, Sylvia Davis, 45. The couple were apparently locked in the closet, or tied up there, and died from smoke inhalation, Horton said.

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Horton said a trail of coins found leading from the apartment to the sidewalk suggested that robbery was the motive, and investigators believe the fire was set to cover up the evidence.

Extradition hearings for Lewis and Martin are scheduled for next week, Horton said. Bloodworth is being held without bail in Los Angeles County Jail.

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