Parents of Murder Case Defendant Get Probation
The parents of a teen-ager accused of killing a deaf man and wounding his brother were ordered Tuesday to serve probation and perform community service for helping the youth flee, authorities said.
Joseph Paul Bellinger Sr. and Phyllis Mary Goodman last month agreed not to contest charges that they arranged for their son to flee to Upstate New York.
Joey Bellinger, who was arrested March 2 in New York, is being prosecuted as an adult for the Jan. 28 slaying of Cesar Vieira, 30, and the wounding of Edward Vieira, 25, after a traffic confrontation in Granada Hills. He has pleaded not guilty.
Long Beach Superior Court Judge Michael Nott placed the elder Bellinger on probation for three years and ordered him to perform 200 hours of community service, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Allan Fork. Goodman was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.
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