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Arraignment Delayed for Double-Killing Suspect
Brent Zubek, charged with shooting at LAPD officers who cornered him on an Encino rooftop, is still under investigation in the slaying of a couple whose bodies were found in a trash bin in Chatsworth.
Brent Zubek, a suspect in the , had his arraignment postponed Tuesday.
He is charged with shooting at LAPD officers who cornered him on an Encino rooftop near on Aug. 22. He eluded capture for two weeks by wearing various disguises, including a wig with dreadlocks, police said.
He has not been charged in the double homicide. Police say they are continuing with their investigation.
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The arraignment has been postponed until Dec. 9 at the request of public defender Mitch Barkner, according to KNX radio.
The decomposing bodies of Oletta Jean Williams, 28, and fiancé John David Lee, 41, were discovered in a trash bin at a home in the 20400 block of Lassen Street on Aug. 12. Although the bodies were discovered in August, authorities believe the two were killed in July. All three had been living there as squatters, officials said.
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Zubek, 43, was one of the so-called "Hole in the Wall Gang" of bank robbers of the early 1990s. He was wounded in the hip after allegedly firing a gun at the officers as they closed in on him. He still reportedly had the gun when police surrounded him after a seven-hour dragnet.
“The [homicide] case remains under investigation,” Los Angeles police Detective Ruben Arellano told Chatsworth Patch at the time.
For an audio report from KNX radio, click here.
There have been three mysterious fires at the house. The fire department is investigating them as possible arson. The house burned twice after the bodies were discovered. Firefighters also responded to a third call there that a van was burning.
Perhaps someone thought fires would destroy evidence, Jim Dellinger, field deputy for Councilman Mitch Englander, speculated. Dellinger said a city building inspector ordered the house boarded up and secured. Dellinger, a former policeman, said he has been assisting in cleanup of the site.
Arellano said that police were still gathering evidence and, with a suspect in custody, detectives were taking time to build a strong case.
Marianne Love contributed to this report.
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