Killer’s Mother Seeks Restraint of Neighbor

The mother of a Simi Valley man convicted of murdering a neighbor petitioned for a restraining order Monday that would forbid the neighbor’s father from coming onto her property.

Paulette “Kathy” Harbridge, who has not lived on the Helene Street property for two years, alleges in the petition that John Rowe came uninvited onto the property several times.

Harbridge’s son, Chris Harbridge, fatally shot John Rowe’s son, Ronald, on Dec. 5 after an ongoing feud between the two young men escalated into violence. Chris Harbridge’s murder trial ended last month.

“It has caused me great emotional stress and anguish to know that Mr. Rowe has entered onto my property,” said Paulette Harbridge’s petition, which is to be heard this morning in family court. “Also, my house is for sale, and I do not want Mr. Rowe to contact, harass or otherwise annoy persons on my property or persons coming or going onto my property discouraging the sale of my house.”

John Rowe, who said he has only gone next door to help a workman and look inside the empty house on the invitation of a real estate agent, called the petition “some sort of harassment.”

“I’ve never done anything to hurt any of those people,” he said. “I’m not going to protest [a restraining order]. I have no reason to be over there. I’d like to make it perfectly clear that I have not got any vendetta, any animosities to anyone over there. Matter of fact, I’ve been a good neighbor.”