2 Companions of Slain Man Won’t Be Charged
Two companions of a man killed when he tried to collect a debt in Studio City will not be charged with murder, authorities said.
The 43-year-old victim, whom authorities have not identified pending notification of relatives, was fatally shot Friday when he used the butt of an assault rifle to smash through the door of a house om the 4500 block of Simpson Avenue, apparently to collect a debt from a resident, police said.
Authorities said the resident, William Taylor, 41, shot the man once with a 12-gauge shotgun.
Police did not arrest Taylor, who they determined had fired in self-defense. They did arrest David Betancur, 26, of Sepulveda, and Kelly Ann Poglitsch, 19, of Sylmar, who had accompanied the victim to the residence.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Norman F. Montrose said Wednesday that he could find no legal theory to support murder charges against Betancur and Poglitsch.
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