Suspect in Attempted Slaying of Executive Commits Suicide

A drug company executive committed suicide Thursday, a day after police searched his home in connection with the attempted assassination this week of his longtime business partner.

Dr. Larry C. Ford, 49, had met with his lawyer for nearly five hours before he shot himself to death in his home, and had expressed fear that police would soon arrest him, the lawyer said.

Authorities were investigating Ford in connection with the shooting Monday morning of James Patrick Riley, 58, chief executive officer of Biofem Inc. in Irvine.

“He didn’t want to see his family go through the trials and tribulations of a trial and the media circus, even if he was innocent,” his lawyer, Stephen Klarich, said.

Detectives said that Ford was not about to be arrested, but they were investigating whether he played a role in attempted slaying.

They are focusing on Ford’s relationship with Los Angeles businessman Dino D’Saachs, who was charged this week with being the getaway driver in Riley’s attack. Ford’s attorney said his client treated D’Saachs for an undisclosed medical condition but was shocked to hear of his arrest.

Police discovered evidence germane to the case during a four-hour search of Ford’s home Wednesday morning but declined to say what they found.

Irvine Police Lt. Sam Allevato said that police are close to arresting two other suspects, but that the department has warned several other unidentified people that may be in danger until then.

Riley was shot in the face as he walked toward his office building at about 10 a.m. by a gunman in black clothes and a ski mask. The shot went through both cheeks and lodged in a wall.

Prosecutors allege in court documents that D’Saachs, 56, drove the gunman to and from the scene, while a third person masterminded the operation. Detectives searching D’Saachs’ home in Altadena found a manual on assassinations and photographs of Ford, his home and his business, prosecutors said.

Ford had maintained through his attorney that he had nothing to do with the attack, and that the police inquiries were strictly routine. Riley and Ford were doing well financially, and there was no reason for animosity, Klarich said.

“The relationship with Riley was a thriving relationship,” he said. “Businesswise, they were doing exceptionally well.”

In their lengthy meting, Klarich and Ford had discussed legal strategy.

“He was upset that they searched his home and was afraid they would arrest him and he was going to jail,” the attorney said. “Eight months later when he’s exonerated, how would he get that time back?”

Still, Klarich said Ford seemed to be coping with the problems when the meeting ended.

“He seemed to be doing OK when he left,” Klarich added. “No more than 15 minutes later, I got the call.”

Biofem attorney Raymond A. Lee said the men were equal partners in the 10-year-old firm.

“Patrick was the marketing, CEO business guy, and Larry has always been the scientist,” he said. “They’ve always seemed to work together and work very well.”

Lee said he had spoken to Riley Friday morning. The CEO “seemed to be in good health and pretty much in shock as well,” Lee said. “He didn’t understand what had happened beyond what he’s read in the papers, and he didn’t know why.”

Lee described Biofem as a promising business that had just received financing from a private investment fund out of Connecticut.

“It’s well-funded, well-healed and the science is good,” he said. “That’s why this all comes as a great shock to me.”

According to company officials, Biofem was close to finishing research on two innovative products: a chemical suppository designed to protect women from venereal disease, and a bacterial treatment that would protect against certain stomach upsets.

At about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, a screaming woman emerged from Ford’s home and ran down the driveway, according to one neighbor. More than a dozen police cruisers quickly appeared, and officers dashed up the driveway, guns drawn, as the woman ran toward them.

“Her face was white. She looked as if she’d seen a ghost,” said Doug Koeller, 17. “She screamed at us to get into the house. She looked pretty bad. She was very frantic.”

Times staff writers Marc Ballon and Karen Alexander and librarian Sheila A. Kern contributed to this story.