Fugitive Lawyer Surrenders; Bail in Murder Case Set at $500,000

A South Bay criminal defense lawyer, who was a fugitive for the past month after skipping a pretrial hearing in a murder case, has been ordered held in lieu of $500,000 bail after surrendering Tuesday.

James Vincent Robelen Jr., 55, accused of shooting to death his girlfriend in January, surrendered in the Criminal Courts building in downtown Los Angeles one month after failing to appear for a hearing while free on bond.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Jane Blissert said the $500,000 bail, imposed by Superior Court Judge Michael Tynan on Wednesday, should make sure that Robelen will not be released until his trial.

“I know he can’t make that,” she said.

Robelen’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 15 before Superior Court Judge Roosevelt Dorn, who will preside over the trial.

Robelen, a Lawndale resident, faces murder charges in the Jan. 26 death of Pamela Puzach, 45. He has pleaded not guilty. After returning from a Super Bowl party, Puzach was shot several times in her Torrance apartment during an argument with Robelen stemming from her desire to end their relationship, Blissert said. Puzach died the next day.

Robelen, seen by neighbors fleeing the building, was arrested shortly after the shooting.

Robelen became a fugitive after he skipped a Sept. 24 bail revocation hearing during which prosecutors planned to introduce evidence that he had been arrested and charged with drunk driving this summer in Riverside County, a violation of the terms of his release on $75,000 bail.