Days After Falling in Love, a Girl Is Slain and a Parolee Is Under Arrest

Within days of meeting state prison parolee Christopher Michael Rowland, 18-year-old Roberta Mosenthiem was planning their wedding.

But the high school girl’s romantic dreams ended when she was stabbed to death early Monday morning in a Van Nuys motel, where authorities said the couple was spending a pre-honeymoon night.

Los Angeles police arrested Rowland on Tuesday at a Lancaster motel on suspicion of murder after receiving a tip that he had registered there under his own name. The tip came hours after police launched a well-publicized search for Rowland, whom they described as extremely dangerous because they believed he repeatedly stabbed Mosenthiem.

“This was a case of overkill,” said Detective Jim Vojtecky, referring to the brutality of the crime.

Rowland, 21, surrendered Tuesday and was being held without bail at Van Nuys jail, Lt. Warren Knowles said.

A transient with curly blond hair and a muscular frame, Rowland was released on parole two months ago from state prison in Chino, after serving four years on an assault conviction, police said.

Mosenthiem was introduced to Rowland eight days before her death by her 16-year-old brother, who brought the drifter home after meeting him on a bus, said Marty Mosenthiem, another brother. The victim, who lavished love on her skinny dog, “Waggles,” and her fat cat, “Heather,” immediately fell in love with Rowland, said Marty Mosenthiem.

“We feel like it’s our fault,” said Marty Mosenthiem, 33, with whom Roberta lived, along with her 16-year-old brother. “The vibes were that he just got out of jail. I wanted to run him out of here, but it seemed like she’d just go right after him.”

The couple exchanged love letters and planned to marry and move to a farm in Missouri, Marty Mosenthiem said. Meanwhile, Rowland worked with Marty as a painter’s helper and slept occasionally in one of the family’s cars until Marty kicked him out.

Marty said his sister and Rowland were eager to spend time away from her disapproving family. The couple arrived about 2 a.m. Monday at the Chateau Motel in the 6700 block of Sepulveda Boulevard, the motel’s manager said.

Rowland, using a false name, rented a room for $32 and told the clerk that he did not have any identification, said the manager, who asked not to be identified.

Other guests at the motel said Tuesday that they did not hear any noise from the second-floor unit where the couple stayed. Mosenthiem’s body was found about noon Monday by a maid, police said.

Mosenthiem, a B student at Jack London Continuation High School in Van Nuys, would have graduated in March, said one of her teachers, Cristy Dawson.

“Her story is not that unusual in a big city,” Dawson said. “She was one of those kids just hoping to find love so much that they fall too hard and fast.”