OJAI : L.A. Man Pleads Guilty to Murder
A Los Angeles computer programmer has pleaded guilty in Ventura County Superior Court to second-degree murder in the strangulation of his roommate whose body was found in December, 1990, off a road near Ojai.
Louis Hayden Gary, 43, faces 15 years to life at his sentencing, scheduled for Aug. 21. Gary entered the plea Monday in the death of Najat Chehade, 26, whose body was discovered by a Sheriff’s Department employee beside California 33. Chehade had been strangled with a cord, authorities said. Gary was arrested in February, 1991 in Boise, Ida.
At a preliminary hearing in 1991, witnesses described Chehade as an addict and prostitute who had been staying with Gary and using his Los Angeles apartment to entertain customers.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Carol J. Nelson said that Gary agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and withdraw a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
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.
