Police Probe Killing of Hells Angel and Girlfriend

Police are looking into the possibility that a senior Hells Angel nicknamed “Large Larry,” who was fatally shot in the head along with his girlfriend, may have been targeted for execution in connection with his membership in the motorcycle club, perhaps by other members.

Visiting Hells Angels found the 6-foot-2, 450-pound body of Laurence Richard Lajeunesse on Monday morning in his bed in the back of the industrial garage where he lived and ran an auto dismantling business.

He had been shot execution-style in the back of his head, police said. The body of his girlfriend, Tammie Ann Brannigan, 35, was found in an adjoining garage amid model die-cast cars, antique cameras and Mickey Mouse Pez dispensers. She was also shot in the head, police said.

Lt. Al Michelena, a detective supervisor with the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide unit, which is handling the case, said investigators have interviewed several Hells Angels members and are looking into the possibility that others in the club may have killed him.

The Hells Angels on Wednesday denied any involvement. “I’m not surprised the investigation is heading toward us, said Hells Angels national spokesman George Christie Jr. “We have been visible, easy targets for 50 years.

The motorcycle club, one of the nation’s oldest and most notorious, recently gave Lajeunesse a gold belt buckle--bearing the club symbol of a winged skull--in honor of his 10 years of membership.

Although robbery remains a possible motive for the killings, Lajeunesse’s expensive burgundy Harley-Davidson motorcycle and tools were left behind, police said.

Lajeunesse’s role in the Hells Angels was still unclear, but the large and diverse collection of clocks, watches, cameras, knives, guns and other items amassed in his garage home in the 9300 block of Oso Avenue has led detectives to suspect he might have been trading methamphetamine for stolen goods.

Lajeunesse was convicted in 1995 of receiving stolen property and placed on three years’ probation. Michelena said investigators did not find any drugs at the crime scene.

Michael “Big Mike” Lajeunesse, the dead man’s brother, said Larry Lajeunesse used drugs, including methamphetamine.

The Hells Angels will pay for the funerals and will bury the couple Monday at Oakwood Memorial Park in Chatsworth, the family said.