2 Teens Arrested in Slaying of Pastor in Chatsworth

Two teen-agers were arrested in the shooting death of a Pacoima pastor who was gunned down in his Chatsworth home in a dispute over a minor traffic accident, Los Angeles police said Wednesday.

Dana L. Singer, 18, and Philip J. Dimenno, 19, both of Northridge, were arrested on suspicion of murder Tuesday, two days after the body of Carl White, 54, was found on the floor of his home on Citronia Street.

White was pastor of the Apostolic Temple Church, a storefront church in Pacoima with a handful of members. He also was a house painter and a driver for the handicapped.

Detective Michael Brandt said investigators found recent damage to the rear of White’s car and learned that he had been in a minor traffic accident Friday night. Other evidence led police to the suspects.

“It’s all based on a minor traffic accident,” Brandt said. “It’s the craziest thing. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to it. “

Brandt said White had been driving home about 11 p.m. Friday when he slowed his car at Winnetka Avenue and Superior Street, about a block from his house, because a fatal accident in the intersection had clogged traffic.

Dimenno and an unidentified friend were riding in Dimenno’s Mustang behind White’s car, Brandt said. The friend, who was driving the Mustang, was distracted by the accident scene and rear-ended White’s car.

Because damage to both cars was minor, no police report was taken and the two car owners exchanged information from their driver’s licenses. But Dimenno’s car was uninsured, meaning he could be charged with illegally operating the car and be sued by White’s insurance company if the pastor reported the accident, Lt. L. A. Durrer said.

About 6 a.m. Saturday, Dimenno and Singer--who had not been in the Mustang during the accident--allegedly went to White’s home uninvited in an attempt to persuade him not to report the accident, Durrer said.

White’s wife, Margaret, was visiting relatives in Canada at the time, and the only other person home was an elderly relative who was bedridden and did not see or hear what took place when the two men allegedly visited.

“The two suspects just showed up at the house,” Brandt said. “We believe it started out as a talking situation. They didn’t want Pastor White to notify his insurance company about the accident. The situation deteriorated and Pastor White was shot and killed.”

The suspects fled from the house after the shooting, police said. White’s body was not discovered until the following night when members of the Apostolic Temple Church became concerned after he did not show up for Sunday services. The bedridden relative was found unharmed in her room and in good condition.

Police said they believe Singer brought a gun with him and shot White. They said the gun was seized after the two men were arrested.

Both young men lived with their parents, police said, declining to reveal other details about them or whether they had criminal records. Singer and Dimenno were being held without bail and were expected to be arraigned on murder charges in San Fernando Municipal Court today.

Margaret White, who returned from Canada and arrived at her home Sunday night as police were investigating her husband’s death, said services had not yet been set.

The Whites, who were well-liked by neighbors, put their home of five years up for sale last month and had planned to move back to Kentucky, where Carl White was born, said a real estate agent handling the listing.