Man Charged in Slaying at Historic Home

A 51-year-old man has been charged in connection with the 1999 strangulation of Dorothy Bembridge, a founder of the Long Beach Historical Society, police said Tuesday.

Daniel William Borunda had done odd jobs for Bembridge and was convicted of burglarizing her home in 1990. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office filed the charges against Borunda while he is being held without bail at Chino State Prison for parole violations.

On Nov. 4, 1999, police found the the body of Bembridge, 89, in the backyard of the two-story Victorian house, where she had lived since 1918.

The 18-month investigation eventually gathered evidence needed to proceed to court.

“We now feel we have sufficient evidence to file a case against him,” said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

After serving time for the burglary conviction, Borunda was released to a men’s boarding house on Oct. 19, 1999, a few weeks before Bembridge was killed. He was arrested again Dec. 23, 2000, for the parole violation.

“The motive for the killing seemed to be burglary and revenge,” Long Beach Police Officer David Marander said.

After hearing about the charges, Bembridge’s friends said she contributed a great deal to historic preservation, which she was credited with starting after her Park Circle home was threatened with demolition.

“She knew so much about the rich culture of Long Beach and made continued contributions to our efforts to preserve the history of Long Beach,” said Harvey Keller, president of Long Beach Heritage.

Keller’s organization purchased Bembridge’s house last year for $325,000. The group plans to raise donations to restore the house to its original state for meetings and to open for tours showing some of the city’s historic treasures. The house has many of its original furnishings, including two Steinway pianos and a grandfather clock. A life-size image of Bembridge, dressed in turn-of-the-century garb, is in a second-story window.

“It’s one of the finest examples of Victorian architecture left in the city,” he said. “We want the house to feel like its part of the neighborhood and the neighborhood to feel like its part of the house.”

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Times staff writer Louis Sahagun contributed to this story.