No Charges Filed in Slaying at Train Ride

Prosecutors declined to file charges Thursday against a Palmdale man arrested in the shooting death of a popular children’s train ride engineer during a robbery in Griffith Park.

John B. Moore, 28, who was formerly a train engineer on children’s rides in the park, remained jailed on traffic warrants after the decision by the district attorney’s office.

“We’ve declined to file charges,” district attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said. “We’ve told the police we want (them) to do further investigation and we think they will do that quickly.”

Gibbons declined to elaborate on the decision. Police said they still believe Moore was the getaway driver when engineer Stanley Diamond, 49, was shot to death about 7 p.m. Sunday in Griffith Park.

“We need more corroborating evidence placing him there,” Lt. Dave Waterman said of Moore. “We are still working on it.”

Moore was arrested Tuesday night after police said they identified him as the driver of a motorcycle that the gunman rode away on after shooting Diamond during a struggle over the cash collected at three park concessions. The gunman has not been arrested and neither the weapon nor the stolen money, more than $2,000, have been found.

Police would not say how Moore was identified or whether the driver of the motorcycle wore a helmet. They have said the killer wore a motorcycle helmet to hide his identity.

Moore’s sister, Scarlett Courtney, 26, of Palmdale, said her brother could not have been at Griffith Park during the shooting because she, her husband and a neighbor were with him in Palmdale at the time.

“He was at my house all night,” she said. “There is no way it was him. They make him look so guilty and I know he is innocent.”

She said she believes police focused on her brother because he had lost his job at the park nine months ago and drove a motorcycle. She said police have seized her brother’s motorcycle and helmet.

“How can you possibly identify someone when they were wearing a helmet?” Courtney asked. “Anybody there could have done it and framed my brother.”

Waterman declined to comment on Courtney’s claim that her brother has an alibi.

Meanwhile, operators of Travel Town have reopened the ride where Diamond worked. A memorial service for the popular engineer has been rescheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Travel Town.