Jury Selection to Begin n 4 Teens’ Death Trial

After months of delay, jury selection is scheduled to begin today in the trial of four Conejo Valley teenagers accused in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old peer from Agoura Hills.

The death last May of Jimmy Farris, the son of a Los Angeles Police Department officer, left the suburban community in shock.

According to the prosecution, Farris and his friend, Mike McLoren, were exercising outside McLoren’s Agoura Hills home on the evening of May 22 when they were confronted by a group of five youths, ages 15 to 18, who demanded marijuana from McLoren. McLoren refused and a fight broke out, police said.

During the fight, McLoren was stabbed several times and Farris twice. McLoren survived, but Farris died a few hours later.

Only two of the accused teenagers were 18 at the time of Farris’ death, but because of the seriousness of the crime, all five are being tried as adults. The trial will be held in Malibu Municipal Court.

The accused are Brandon Hein, 19, of Oak Park; brothers Jason and Micah Holland, 19 and 16, of Thousand Oaks, and Tony Miliotti, 18, of Westlake Village. The fifth teen, Chris Velardo, 18, of Oak Park, changed his plea to guilty last fall and is awaiting sentencing.

The trial was originally planned for last fall but has been delayed several times at the request of defense attorneys. Jury selection is expected to take a few days.