Reseda Youth Denies Stabbing Woman, 74

A 17-year-old Reseda youth Wednesday denied charges that he stabbed an elderly neighbor 20 times with a butcher knife and then handcuffed her to a drain pipe in the kitchen of her home during a robbery that netted less than $10.

The teen-ager, whose name has not been released because of his age, was arraigned in San Fernando Valley Juvenile Court in Sylmar on felony charges of attempted premeditated murder, residential robbery and residential burglary in connection with the Dec. 29 attack on 74-year-old Edith Aline Rose.

However, prosecutors will seek to try the youth as an adult, and a hearing on that matter was set March 15. If convicted as a juvenile, the youth could be incarcerated only until his 25th birthday, or for about seven years.

If convicted as an adult, he would face a maximum sentence of life in prison, Deputy Dist. Atty. Bernadette de Barajas said.

“This crime was so heinous, so atrocious, it is hard to conceive that a mind as young as this young man’s could deliberate on such callous acts and actually carry them out,” De Barajas said. “The kind of conduct here, which was so brutal, is akin to what many others have been tried on as adult.”

The teen-ager, who turns 18 in March, remains in custody at the San Fernando Valley Juvenile Hall in Sylmar.

Gerson S. Horn, the boy’s attorney, said he will attempt to keep the case in Juvenile Court.

“We are dealing with a kid who has previously been diagnosed as severely emotionally disturbed,” Horn said. “It is extremely traumatic for him and his family, as well as tragic for the victim. Our key concern is for the matter to be resolved in a manner that is fair and just. We believe it is best resolved under the auspices of the Juvenile Court system rather than in adult court.”

Rose, who was stabbed in the neck, hands and torso, remains in the hospital. She suffered complications from her injuries over the weekend, but doctors were able to stabilize her condition, Los Angeles Police Detective Robert Johansen said.

According to police, the teen-ager knocked on Rose’s door Dec. 29 and asked for a glass of water and the use of a telephone. After entering her house, he pulled out a gun and demanded money. When she refused, he began chasing her around the house, punching her and at one point stomping on her chest.

He stabbed her about 20 times with a knife and handcuffed her to a drain pipe in the kitchen, then left with less than $10, authorities said. The youth is charged with attempted premeditated murder for bringing the gun, knife and handcuffs with him, according to Johansen.

Rose was found hours later by a neighbor. Rose did not know her attacker’s name but told police that it was a neighborhood boy who regularly rode his bicycle past her home while she tended her garden.

“She said he would comment on how pretty her yard was,” Johansen said.

Police quickly identified the teen-ager and arrested him at a fast-food restaurant where he worked. Johansen said the boy led police to a dumpster where they found Rose’s credit cards.