17-Year-Old Is 5th Youth Charged in Stabbing Death

Charges were filed Tuesday against a 17-year-old Conejo Valley boy in the stabbing death of the son of a Los Angeles police detective in Agoura Hills, making him the fifth teen-ager charged in the killing.

Murder, attempted murder and robbery charges were filed against the youth, who will be arraigned today in Sylmar juvenile court.

The charges were filed as investigators released more details of the fatal stabbing May 22 of Jimmy Farris, 16, in an Agoura Hills teen clubhouse. He was visiting a friend, Mike McLoren, 16, who lived in the shed-like structure, also sometimes called a “fort,” in the back yard of his family’s home.

A group of five local youths arrived at the clubhouse about 7 p.m., Detective Bill Neumann said. While one 17-year-old Agoura Hills youth remained outside with his pickup truck, the other four jumped the fence around the property and walked to the clubhouse door, where they were met by Mike and Jimmy, Neumann said.

One youth strode directly into the clubhouse, Neumann said, and Mike followed him. When the other three intruders went into the clubhouse, Jimmy also entered, Neumann said.

Inside, a brief argument ensued, and then a fight broke out, Neumann said. Bruce Jones, the attorney for the 17-year-old who waited outside, has said in a juvenile court hearing that Jason Holland, 18, of Thousand Oaks, drew a knife and stabbed both Jimmy and Mike.

The attackers then fled as Jimmy and Mike crawled into the main house, where Jimmy died. Mike’s wounds were not life-threatening. Jones said the fleeing assailants piled into the waiting pickup and sped off, without telling the driver what happened.

About 80 minutes later the truck was stopped by a patrolling Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, who identified all the youths inside and frisked them, Neumann said. He found a knife on Holland, but, unaware of the stabbing, returned it to him and let the youths drive off, Neumann said.

The other four suspects are in custody but Holland remains at large.

Neumann said marijuana found inside a locked drawer in the clubhouse may have been the cause of the dispute. Defense attorneys contend that the argument was over a marijuana deal gone bad, but Neumann said he was not certain that was the source of disagreement. He and prosecutors say the youths entered the clubhouse to steal the contents.

Jones had argued that his client, who turned himself in the day after the killing, should be set free since he did no more than drive the truck and was not present at the stabbing. But Neumann said investigators are still trying to determine the youth’s role in the killing.

The four suspects in custody are a 17-year-old Agoura Hills boy who drove the truck, a 15-year-old Thousand Oaks boy, the 17-year-old charged Tuesday, and 18-year-old Brandon Hein of Oak Park. Prosecutors are seeking to have the juveniles tried as adults in the killing.