WOODLAND HILLS : Panah Murder Trial to Remain in Valley

A Woodland Hills man accused of kidnaping and murdering an 8-year-old girl will be tried in the San Fernando Valley, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Defense attorney Robert Sheahen asked Superior Court Judge Sandy Kriegler to move the capital murder trial of Hooman Ashkan Panah to a courtroom downtown or in Santa Monica.

He argued that the disappearance and slaying of Nicole Parker in November received extensive pretrial publicity, especially in the Valley, and that prospective jurors were tainted by news reports.

Panah, who lived near the child’s father in a sprawling apartment complex on Ventura Boulevard, was charged with the child’s murder after her body was found in a suitcase in his closet. Sheahen also argued that Lori Parker, the slain child’s mother, works as a paralegal and is dating a well-known Valley attorney, giving her a “special relationship” with the Valley’s courts.

But Kriegler agreed with Deputy Dist. Atty. Peter Berman that Panah, 22, could still receive a fair trial in Van Nuys Superior Court since the publicity has diminished since the Nov. 20 slaying.

The case returns to court Sept. 26 when other pretrial issues are likely to be raised. Among them: a motion by the defense to exclude a statement Panah made to police and a motion to exclude a blood-spattered notebook that was found in his car. The notebook contained an apology to the child’s family but blames the killing on “evil, psychotic” people.

Sheahen said he will seek to keep the jury from hearing Panah’s statement, saying the suspect spoke to police after he was given Haldol, a powerful anti-psychotic medication, by an emergency room physician. The drug, administered to calm him, may have influenced his decision to speak with police, Sheahen said.

Panah, who was indicted by a grand jury in February, has pleaded not guilty to seven counts, including murder, kidnaping and sodomy. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted of first-degree murder.