LOCAL : Schaeffer Murder Trial Dec. 7
- Share via
Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Connor set a Dec. 7 trial date today for the allegedly obsessed fan charged with shooting actress Rebecca Schaeffer to death.
The defendant, Robert John Bardo, came to court in a wrinkled prison T-shirt and pajama pants. He sat staring at the top of the counsel table throughout the hearing.
Defense attorney Steven Galindo said outside court that Bardo is under constant medication and appears to be improving mentally with the help of drugs.
Bardo is accused of first-degree murder with special circumstances of lying in wait, which could bring him the death penalty if convicted.
Schaeffer, 21, was shot to death in the doorway of her Fairfax area apartment building July 18, 1989.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
John Orr was a renowned fire investigator who was also a prolific arsonist, and whose thinly veiled novel helped to convict him. In this episode we hear from the fire captain who first suspected him—and from Orr himself.
Tom Girardi was a legal legend—until he was found guilty of stealing millions from his own clients. Host Madison McGhee and pop culture commentator Kiki Monique unpack how his downfall became a Real Housewives scandal, and what Erika Jayne may or may not have known. Plus, L.A. Times reporter Harriet Ryan joins to share how she helped bring Girardi’s crimes to light.
Sammy Roth visits America’s second-largest nuclear plant, Arizona’s Palo Verde Generating Station, and sits down with three experts to explore the pros and cons of atomic energy.
