Teen Given Life Sentence for Beating, Stabbing Neighbor

A Reseda teenager convicted of beating and stabbing his elderly neighbor before leaving her handcuffed to a sink in her home was sentenced Friday to life plus six years in prison.

Eric Andrew Serin, 19, was sentenced by Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Lloyd Nash. He was found guilty in February of first-degree attempted murder, residential burglary and residential robbery with great bodily harm, a spokesman for the Los Angeles district attorney’s office said.

Serin was 17 when he attacked Edith Aline Rose, now 75, on Dec. 29, 1994.

Rose was initially afraid to testify, said Patricia Doyle, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case, but she did so “because she wanted to see [Serin] put behind bars.”

Defense attorney Ira Salzman said he conceded to the burglary and robbery charges.

But the attack was not “willful, premeditated and deliberate,” he said, adding that his client, who he said has psychological problems, should not have been convicted of first-degree attempted murder.

“Certainly his conduct may show intent to kill,” Salzman said, “But it was our contention that it was an impulsive and rash act, not the product of meaningful reflection.”

Serin will probably be eligible for parole in seven years, Salzman said.

The attack occurred when Rose, who did not know Serin personally, opened the door to her Strathern Street home after he knocked, asking for a glass of water and to use the phone, according to police.

Rose let the teenager inside because she recognized him as a neighborhood boy who often rode his bicycle past her house as she was gardening, the police said.

Once in the house, police said, Serin pulled out a gun and demanded money from Rose. When she refused, he chased her around the house, punching her and slashing her with a knife. He then handcuffed her to the sink and left with about $10, police said.

Later, a neighbor who was worried because Rose did not answer her phone, climbed through a window and found her semiconscious and bleeding, police said.

A few hours after the attack, police arrested Serin at work. Police said he led them to a trash receptacle where they found Rose’s credit cards.

Salzman unsuccessfully sought during preliminary hearings to have the teenager housed in juvenile hall during the trial and and to have him tried as a juvenile.

But prosecutors fought the attempts.

“He’s an adult now and he should be handled the same as any other adult,” Robert Cohen, another deputy district attorney involved in the case, said at the time.

Doyle said Rose, who still suffers lung problems resulting from the attack, was relieved the case is over.

“She wants to put it behind her and sort of get on with her life,” Doyle said.