Saugus Man Charged In Murder Due Back In November

Posted by: Perry Smith in Santa Clarita News October 22, 2013 - 4:14 pm 0 169 Views

A Saugus man accused in the murder of his longtime, live-in girlfriend had his case continued for a fourth pretrial hearing Tuesday.

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Eric Earle, 41, of Saugus, is due back in court Nov. 21.

Earle was arraigned on a murder charge June 5, after Judge Lloyd Nash found May 22 there was sufficient evidence to merit a trial for the accusation that he killed 41-year-old Karla Brada.

Earle pleaded not guilty, and he’s been in custody since Jan. 25, 2012, according to Sheriff’s Department records.

The case has had three pretrial hearings, on July 18, Aug. 29 and Oct. 22, according to Deputy District Attorney Elana Abramson, who’s in charge of Earle’s prosecution.

“Theres been no plea discussion,” Abramson said, declining to get into the specifics of the nature of the pretrial hearings.

A trial could begin within 30 days of the next hearing, however, there could be a need for a pretrial hearing that pushes that date back, Abramson said.

Deputies were called to the Saugus condominium Earle shared with Brada on the 20700 block of Plum Canyon Road the morning of Sept. 1, 2011, after Earle woke up and found Brada unresponsive.

Brada was pronounced dead at the scene by Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel, and homicide investigators took over the case.

Earle was initially taken into custody and then released due to, at the time, a lack of evidence.

Earle, who also was arrested for domestic violence and vandalizing a patrol car back in 2011, was re-arrested and charged Jan. 25 by deputies with the Lomita Sheriff’s Station, based on the coroner’s determination that Brada’s death was a homicide.

He’s now being held at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles.

He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

His next hearing is scheduled for Department D for Los Angeles Superior Court in San Fernando.

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