PASADENA : Ex-Funeral Operators to Face Only 9 Counts

In a bid to streamline a long-delayed trial, former Pasadena funeral home operators Laurieanne Lamb Sconce and Jerry Sconce will be tried on nine criminal counts, instead of the two dozen offenses alleged, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Elliott Alhadeff said he opted to focus on fewer felony counts “so we can proceed to trial rapidly on these charges,” which stemmed from a 1987 inquiry into the family’s mortuary businesses. The husband and wife still face charges of multiple cremations, co-mingling human remains and removing gold-filled teeth from bodies. Trial is set for mid-April in Pasadena Superior Court.

The couple’s son, David Wayne Sconce, 35, pleaded guilty in 1989 to 21 charges involving the mishandling of remains and was sentenced to five years in prison. Now on parole, he is to stand trial again May 1 on seven felony counts, including conspiracy to commit murder. He is accused of trying to hire someone to kill a prosecutor in the case.