3rd Suspect Is Charged in Fatal Shooting

A third person was charged with murder Tuesday in connection with the fatal shooting of a Valencia man at a Holiday Inn in Burbank last month.

James Hamilton, 51, was arrested by Burbank police Monday in Los Angeles. He is charged with murder and murder with special circumstance, said Detective Richard Bison of the Burbank Police Department. Hamilton served 15 years in prison for a first-degree murder in 1964, a special circumstance that means he could face the death penalty if convicted, Bison said.

Hamilton is being held in the Los Angeles County Jail in connection with the Feb. 28 shooting of Michael Mallari at the Holiday Inn on East Angeleno Avenue. Mallari, 32, was killed about 3:30 a.m. by a single gunshot wound to his forehead, Bison said.

Police believe robbery was the motive. Mallari’s jewelry, wallet and more than $100 in cash were stolen, Bison said.

Police arrested Mary Montgomery, 20, and Frederic James, 34, later that day in connection with the killing. Montgomery and James were transients in the Hollywood area, Bison said.

Police believe Montgomery, a convicted prostitute, agreed to meet Mallari at the Holiday Inn as part of a plot to rob him, Bison said. Mallari was not a guest at the hotel, Bison said.

“He had friends who stayed at the hotel, and she had visited him before, so she knew his habits--where he usually parked and what entrances he took,” Bison said.

The three suspects are believed to have waited for Mallari to enter through an unlocked stairwell, where they allegedly robbed and killed him. A security guard making his morning rounds found the body.

Montgomery and James were charged on suspicion of murder. The district attorney’s office has not yet decided if there is enough evidence to add a charge of murder with special circumstance for lying in wait for the victim. If convicted of the special circumstance, they too could face the death penalty, Bison said.