Accused Killer’s 3rd Trial Opens
No concrete evidence exists that proves Harvey Rader killed a Northridge family that disappeared in 1982, a defense attorney said Monday during opening arguments in Rader’s third murder trial.
Rader, 49, a former Reseda auto body shop owner, faces four counts of murder in the disappearances of Israeli immigrant Shlomo Salomon; his wife, Elaine, and their two children, Michalle, 15, and Mitchell.
The family disappeared from their Northridge home Oct. 12, 1982, and their bodies have never been found.
“There is no concrete evidence to prove that this family was killed. They (prosecutors) have no bodies. They have no body parts,” defense attorney Joel Isaacson said.
Isaacson said there is no proof that the family is dead “because their whereabouts are still unknown.”
Several witnesses saw members of the Salomon family after they apparently disappeared, the attorney said.
“A service station attendant in Mojave saw them after Oct. 12, 1982, and two other people saw the family near Santa Barbara,” Isaacson said.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Lonnie Felker accused Rader of killing the family after a business dispute.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
