Laguna Slaying

* You would think that a small town such as Laguna Beach may be secluded and separated from the violence and crime of the surrounding areas, but think again.

Since February, when the store owner at the local Baskin-Robbins was killed in an attempted robbery, it has opened the eyes of Laguna Beach citizens. Now a second brutal murder in this quite serene microcosm (“Man Slain in Laguna Alley,” Nov. 13).

Things like this just don’t happen here. This is the kind of city that you can walk around and feel perfectly safe. That is, until now.

Is growth of the larger cities contributing to the rise in crime? Will murder become a common thing in Laguna Beach? No one really knows, but how can we restore that sense of comfort? My greatest sympathies go out to the Chadwick family, and I hope that the murderer is put to justice.

Laguna Beach has just been hammered for the last three years. First it was the fire in 1993. Then the mudslides and floods in 1994 and 1995. Next the first murder in early 1995, and now the second.

The scary part is that the reason for the murder is so pointless. It just goes to show that you should be careful what you say and do. For me, just knowing that I have walked down that very same alley is a scary thought.

Maybe we aren’t as safe as we thought.

SARA EARHART

Laguna Beach High School