LA County DA's Office Accepts Blame For Not Locking Up Alleged Northridge Murderer

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office accepted blame for not locking up a man accused of killing four people outside a Northridge unlicensed boarding house on Dec. 2.

Ka Pasasouk, 31, who was on probation at the time, was booked on suspicion of murder for the fatal shootings of two men and two women who were visiting friends at a five-bedroom home in the 17000 block of Devonshire Street.

In September, Pasasouk went before a judge for a drug possession charge, but instead of being sent to jail as probation officials recommended, he was ordered by prosecutors to enter a drug diversion program, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The suspect was arrested along with three other people in Las Vegas on Dec. 3 in connection to the murders.

Howard Alcantara, 30, of Glendale, Donna Rabulan, 30, of Los Angeles and Christina Neal, 31, of Los Angeles were booked on suspicion of aiding a felon.

Alcantara was also booked on suspicion of robbery.

All four suspects agreed to extradition back to Los Angeles.

Investigators believe the shootings of — 24-year-old Amanda Ghossen of Monterey Park, 26-year-old Jennifer Kim of Montebello, 34-year-old Robert Calabia of Los Angeles and 49-year-old Teofilo Navales of Castaic — were connected to a dispute over property, although motive is still under investigation.

But despite the D.A. accepting responsibility for Pasasouk's early release, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO he blames their deaths on the highest office in the state.

"This tragedy is a direct result of the failed policies of Governor Brown when he began to send down the felons to local government, to the counties, to handle," Antonovich said.

Pasasouk had multiple convictions dating back to 2004 and was in violation of his probation at the time of the killings.

He had been released from prison in January under California's early release program for those jailed for non-violent, non-serious or non-sexual related offenses.

Authorities said he repeatedly failed to check in with a county probation officer as he was ordered to.

He was arrested in September on suspicion of methamphetamine possession, which he pleaded no contest to.

Despite the county probation department's push to put have Pasasouk serve jail time, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge only sentenced him to the drug program because no weapons were involved.

On Nov. 14, the suspect violated probation by failing to show proof he had enrolled in a program at a follow-up hearing he was late to.

A warrant for his arrest was in the works at the time of the shooting, according to authorities.

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