Pair to Stand Trial in Killing of Witness
A judge on Monday ordered two men to stand trial on charges they killed a burglary witness who was cooperating with authorities.
Municipal Judge Lloyd Nash denied a defense motion to throw out the charges against Kenneth Leighton and Randall Williams, who could now face the death penalty.
Police and prosecutors say Leighton had Williams kill James Navaroli and Navaroli’s girlfriend, April Mahoney, because Navaroli told detectives about Leighton’s involvement in two commercial burglaries.
“He made the threats; they wind up dead,” Nash said at the end of a preliminary hearing that began last week. “As far as this court is concerned, there is more than enough evidence” to bind the defendants over to Superior Court for trial.
However, Nash threw out charges of conspiracy to commit a burglary that prosecutors had filed against Williams and one burglary charge against Leighton he said legally was not a separate crime. He also reduced two burglary charges against Leighton to receiving stolen property.
The pair is scheduled to be arraigned in Van Nuys Superior Court next month.
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