TORRANCE : Lawyer Convicted of Murdering Girlfriend

A South Bay criminal defense lawyer Wednesday was found guilty of murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend, who witnesses said had pleaded for her life before she was shot.

A Compton Superior Court jury agreed with prosecution assertions that James Vincent Robelen, 55, killed his girlfriend and paralegal, Pamela Puzach, 44, after an argument on Jan. 26, 1992, in her Torrance apartment.

Robelen faces a maximum sentence of 30 years to life in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 15 by Superior Court Judge Enrique Romero.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Michelle Daniels said she relied on forensic evidence linking the bullets that killed Puzach to Robelen’s gun and testimony from neighbors who heard the couple arguing.

After attending a Super Bowl party together, Robelen and Puzach had a heated argument over her desire to end their relationship, prosecutors said. As Puzach huddled in a bathroom and pleaded for her life, Robelen fired four bullets through the door, hitting Puzach in the head and neck, Daniels said.

Witnesses said they then saw Robelen flee the apartment. He was arrested a short time later. Puzach died the following day after she was taken off life support systems.

Robelen had been a fugitive after he skipped a pretrial hearing last September while free on $75,000 bond. The hearing was to determine whether his bail should be revoked in the wake of a drunk-driving citation last summer.

Robelen surrendered in October and has been in custody.