Opinion ID: 2804159
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Murder of Allen Rothenberg

Text: At trial, the prosecution presented evidence that on February 7, 1969, less than a month after he turned 16 years old, defendant robbed and fatally stabbed Allen Rothenberg.5 Rothenberg was delivering beer for Nate‟s Liquor Store to defendant‟s home at 3302 Paola Avenue in Los Angeles. In a 1969 statement to detectives, which was read to the jury, defendant said he called up Nate‟s Liquor Store as “Mr. Martinez” and ordered a case of Colt 45 beer. Defendant stated he was talking to a girl in the bedroom when his friend, Bert Gonzalez, told him someone was at the door. Defendant told detectives: “I already had a knife with me because I already had it planned that I was going to rob the guy when he got there.” Defendant “got a knife and put it around [Rothenberg‟s] neck and threw 5 To show the nature and circumstances of defendant‟s prior violent conduct (§ 190.3, factor (b)), the prosecution — over defense counsel‟s objection — elicited testimony from Officer Sanchez, who knew and lived near the victim and his family, that Rothenberg had a “handicap,” i.e., he was both “mentally slow” and “physically slow” with one bad leg and a foot that he dragged. 13 him on the floor and told him this was a holdup. . . . [¶] . . . [¶] I just — I kept — I just kept stabbing him.” He stated he did not remember how many times he stabbed Rothenberg, but that Rothenberg “kept on giving me a hassle and finally he settled down and he just laid there.” Defendant dragged Rothenberg‟s body through the bedroom and down the stairs. Bert helped defendant throw his body over the next yard. Defendant indicated he cut his hands because his hand “kept sliding down the blade” when he was stabbing Rothenberg. Former Los Angeles Police Officer Ruben Sanchez, who responded to the call at 3302 Paola, testified that officers found Rothenberg‟s body in the yard next door. Rothenberg had been stabbed multiple times in the chest and his pants pockets were turned inside out. A trail of blood led back into the house where detectives found blood in the dining room, a bloody door knob, and blood splats on the wall. An investigator located a bloody 13-inch kitchen knife at the side of the house. Officer Sanchez identified numerous photographs of the Rothenberg crime scene, which were introduced into evidence. The trial court took judicial notice of defendant‟s juvenile court files.