Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Suspect Seen Near Scene of Pipe Bomb Slaying, Witness Says : Hearing: Scott Douglas Hamby faces murder charges after desert explosion that killed woman.

Minutes after a pipe bomb exploded in May in the desert near Pearblossom--killing a 33-year-old woman who accidentally came upon the device--a man arrived at scene on a motorcycle, surveyed the carnage and then sped off, a witness testified Thursday at a hearing for Scott Douglas Hamby, who is charged with first-degree murder in the incident.

Hamby, whose nickname is Blast Off, is charged with making the bomb and leaving it in the remote desert area, where it killed Lynn Standish and wounded her 4-year-old son while they were searching for cans and other recyclables.

At the hearing in Antelope Municipal Court, a witness’ testimony suggested that Hamby was at or near or at the scene at the time of the explosion. Millard H. Sanford of Littlerock identified the defendant as the man on the motorcycle who did not stop to offer assistance.

The dramatic testimony came on the first day of the hearing, held to determine if there is enough evidence to put Hamby on trial. Court officials said the hearing will probably end today.

Sanford testified he was driving near Avenue V and 106th Street East on May 20, when 9-year-old Jeffrey Standish flagged him down and begged for help.

“His little brother was injured and his mother was dead,” Sanford said.

Sanford sent a companion to call 911 while he stayed with the boys. Moments later, he said, the motorcyclist and a woman on a three-wheeled vehicle approached the scene of the explosion. Although he did not get a good look at the woman, Sanford said he clearly saw the man.

“I assumed he would stop, and he didn’t,” Sanford said.

The murder charge against Hamby, 32, comes with a special circumstance allegation, meaning he could face the death penalty if convicted. He also has been charged with causing death and injury through the explosion of a device and with illegal possession of blasting caps.

Standish, a single mother rearing three sons, was collecting discarded cans when she apparently picked up a box containing a pipe bomb, investigators said.

The box exploded in her hands, killing her with shrapnel that also seriously injured the leg of her youngest son, Michael Hepburn, authorities said.

Jeffrey Standish, who was collecting a short distance from his mother when the explosion occurred, was not injured. A third son, Jared Standish, 14 at the time, was not with them on the collecting trip.

The three boys are now being raised by Lynn Standish’s parents, Keith and Virginia Holmes, who attended Thursday’s hearing.

The testimony included grim descriptions of their daughter’s injuries, but the couple said they felt compelled to see the prosecution played out.

“I just need to get some answers,” Virginia Holmes said during a break. “I guess it’s a way of dealing with the healing of the tragedy.”

Added Keith Holmes, “I want to see that Hamby gets what’s coming to him.”

Lynn Standish’s two older sons are receiving counseling to help them through their grief. The youngest son remembers his mother in his school lessons, Virginia Holmes said.

“His first spelling word is ‘Mom,’ and he draws a picture of his mother and puts a cross next to it,” she said.

During the hearing, Duane Gross, who said he had been acquainted with Hamby for about 20 years, testified that the defendant asked him to dispose of an ice chest shortly after the fatal explosion.

“He said something about, ‘She was stupid for picking it up,’ ” Gross testified.

Gross said another man buried the contents of the chest. Sheriff’s investigators later ordered it dug up and discovered jars containing explosive materials inside.

When the hearing resumes today, Hamby’s attorney, Lorn Aiken, said he will seek a dismissal of the charges. He described the evidence as “weird and shaky.”

“The defendant hired me because he says he’s innocent,” Aiken said. “That’s the avenue we’re pursuing.”