Attorney Says Suspect Denies 1992 Slaying

An attorney for murder suspect Larry Robert Nicassio said Thursday his client said he is not guilty of killing 20-year-old Katrina Elizabeth Montgomery in 1992.

After a short closed-door hearing in Juvenile Court, attorney Darren Kavinoky said his client is contesting the charges that he killed Montgomery after an Oxnard party on Nov. 28, 1992.

“Basically, his plea is not guilty,” said Kavinoky, who was hired by Nicassio’s family.

Kavinoky said it was too soon to comment on the case because he has not yet inspected the evidence against his client. “It would be premature and irresponsible to discuss the details of the case at this time,” he said.

The case is still in Juvenile Court because Nicassio, now 21, is alleged to have killed Montgomery when he was 16. A fitness hearing to determine whether Nicassio should be tried as an adult has been rescheduled for Jan. 13, Kavinoky said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Ron Bamieh, who is handling the case for the Ventura County district attorney’s office, said he could not discuss the matter because the case is in Juvenile Court.

Apart from a Simi Valley auto-theft conviction last year, Nicassio has no other Ventura County criminal convictions.

Meanwhile, police say they expect to make more arrests in the Montgomery case. Investigators believe Montgomery was slain in Ventura County, though her body has never been found.

The former Ventura High School student was living in Westchester at the time of her disappearance.

Authorities said she had stopped at a party in the 1200 block of Azalea Street in Oxnard and was last seen leaving alone at about 5 a.m. on Nov. 28, 1992.

Her blue Toyota pickup truck was found abandoned about 11 hours later near Little Tujunga Canyon Road in the Angeles National Forest.

Although a $10,000 reward was offered for information on Montgomery’s whereabouts, no one ever came forward.

Then this spring investigators with the Ventura County district attorney’s office reopened the case. They followed up on some old leads, and last week arrested Nicassio.

The investigation was largely conducted by Ventura County district attorney investigators with the help of the Los Angeles Police Department, and has not been completed, authorities said.