Pastor Shot to Death in Chatsworth

The pastor of a small storefront church in Pacoima was found shot to death in his Chatsworth home, and Los Angeles police said Monday they had no suspect or clues to the motive.

Carl White, 54, who was also a self-employed house painter and a driver for the handicapped, was found about 9:30 p.m. Sunday on the floor of his home in the 20100 block of Citronia Avenue, Detective Michael Brandt said.

There was no sign of forced entry to the home, Brandt said. A relative of White’s who is in her 90s was in a rear bedroom of the home when White was killed, but she was unable to tell police what happened. Police described her as a disabled woman with diminished mental capacities.

“She has no recollection of what happened,” Brandt said. “She didn’t hear anything and has not been able to help us.”

White was found by members of his Apostolic Temple Church who became concerned when he did not show up for a service Sunday at the small Van Nuys Boulevard church. Police said White had been pastor of the church, which has only a handful of members, for nine years.

White’s wife, Margaret, had been visiting relatives in Canada for a week and arrived at the home late Sunday as police were investigating the slaying. She could not be reached for comment.

Police said the last known sighting of White was Friday evening at his home, and investigators could not pinpoint when he was killed. However, a 20-year-old neighbor told detectives that he heard a popping sound late Saturday afternoon and looked out his window to see a man running from the White home toward nearby Winnetka Avenue.

“I thought it was a firecracker, but then I saw the guy running,” said the neighbor, who asked that his name not be used. “It looked strange. I thought something was wrong, but I hoped it was nothing like this.”

Investigators had no clues to the killer’s identity and no idea what the motive for the slaying was. No weapon was found in the house. Brandt said there was no indication that White, who was fully clothed, was robbed, and the house was not ransacked.

“We can’t rule out anything at the moment,” Brandt said. “But from what we know, his house is very clean, and he had a very clean lifestyle. We are not sure why this happened.”

The Apostolic Temple Church, a small concrete building behind a barber shop, was closed and locked Monday. Members of the small congregation could not be located for comment.

Aside from his duties as pastor, White operated a house painting business out of his home and also worked for the city as a driver of a van that transported handicapped people to various programs in the San Fernando Valley, according to police and neighbors.

White was described as a friendly man who had lived in the home for five years. He recently painted one resident’s home and occasionally watched boxing matches on cable television at a neighbor’s home.

“He was the kind of neighbor everyone would want,” said Gail Bush, who lives in the house next door. “He was very friendly. He was always willing to help out if you needed a hand.”

Last month, neighbors noticed a “For Sale” sign in front of White’s home, but he had not told residents why he was moving. A real estate saleswoman who is handling the listing said the Whites told her they were selling the home so they could return to Kentucky, where Carl White grew up.

Marguerite Olds, who has lived on the street for 32 years, said the house where White lived had often been sold over the years. Once, she said, an owner was shot and seriously wounded during an argument with an employee.

“There seems to be bad luck with that house,” Olds said while watching investigators at White’s house Monday. “That’s a jinxed house.”