Son to Be Sentenced for Strangling Father

A young Temple City man convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the strangulation death of his father could be ordered to serve as many as 11 years in state prison when he is sentenced Friday in Pomona Superior Court.

Augustine Dass, 22, a former student at Cal State Los Angeles, was convicted Friday after a one-week trial. His defense lawyer, however, said he expects his client to be placed on probation.

The jury found Dass not guilty of the more serious charge of second-degree murder in the Jan. 14 death of Ramesh Dass, 57. The elder Dass died after he and his son quarreled inside a family van at Pioneer Park in El Monte when the young man announced he was abandoning his college studies.

The defense contended that Ramesh Dass struck his son with a metal, car-locking device and Augustine fought back, pushing the bar against his father’s throat and shoulders. When he noticed his father had died, the younger man stripped his father’s clothes from his body and left the van and body at the park.

The slaying remained a mystery for nearly a month until Augustine Dass confessed to police.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Mike Davis said the case apparently was difficult for the jury to decide. Some jury members asked for reassurance after the trial that they had reached the right verdict. Second-degree murder implies premeditated malice, but voluntary manslaughter usually applies in cases involving rage and heated emotions, the prosecutor said.

Davis had stressed during the trial that Ramesh Dass died from “soft-ligature strangulation,” such as that applied using a tie or cord, and not by using a metal bar.

The prosecutor further relied on testimony from a medical examiner who said that the victim would have been unconscious and not struggling for two minutes while he was being strangled.

Defense attorney Charles (Ted) Matthews portrayed the death as an accident, brought about by Ramesh Dass’ violent temper. Although the elder Dass was a spiritual man--a Christian struggling to establish a church for immigrants from India, like himself and his family--family members testified about various episodes of physical violence unleashed against the defendant, his mother and two sisters.

But Davis said some jurors believed that Ramesh Dass was simply a strict disciplinarian and not the uncontrollable figure of rage presented by the defense.

Augustine Dass remains free on bail until sentencing to care for his invalid mother, Sarojani, who had used her home as collateral for $100,000 bail.

Dass’ reaction and that of his family to the verdict Friday was “disappointment and relief,” Matthews said. “The whole family is disappointed that he was convicted, but they are all relieved that he got to come home.”

The defense attorney added that he expects his client to receive probation, as recommended in a probation report sent to the court. Dass has no previous criminal record and lived a quiet life at home and as a student until the slaying, Matthews pointed out.