Local : Man Pleads Not Guilty in Murder of West Hills Couple in 1988
Trial began today in Van Nuys Superior Court for Mark Jay Demand, who is accused of beating a West Hills couple to death, then fleeing in a taxi.
Demand, 26, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Robert Ray Burley, 26, and Lori Elm, 18. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
The victims’ bodies were found Jan. 26, 1988, in a house they had shared with Demand. They had been killed at least a week before they were found by Burley’s brother, authorities said.
Police said Burley was a cocaine dealer and they believe that the murders were drug-related. Two pythons--one 13-feet long--that police believe were used to guard drugs were found in the house.
Authorities allege that Demand killed the couple, took about two pounds of cocaine from the house and fled to Las Vegas in a taxi. He was arrested in Las Vegas and later was extradited to Los Angeles to face the murder charges.
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