Father Accused Of Fatally Stabbing 3 Sons Makes First Court Appearance
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Arraignment was postponed to Oct. 7 for a 33-year-old man accused of stabbing his three sons inside an SUV in South Los Angeles.
Luiz Fuentes, also known as Luiz Yantuche, was charged with three counts of murder, which include the special-circumstance allegation of multiple murders, making him eligible for the death penalty, according to the District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty.
Fuentes, who is being held without bail, appeared in court in a wheelchair and has been ordered to remain in jail without bail. He wore a "suicide gown" to prevent him from harming himself, and fought back tears at times during the court hearing.
Fuentes was found near Dolores Huerta Elementary School at about 7 a.m. Sept. 9 when a passerby saw him in the front seat of the SUV, covered with blood and suffering from stab wounds, along with the bodies of three boys inside, police said.
Police believe Fuentes stabbed himself. He was hospitalized, then booked on suspicion of murder two days later.
Coroner's officials identified the children as Alexander, 8, Juan, 9, and Luis, 10.
The children's mother died in 2008, and family members said Fuentes had been fighting with the children's stepmother and suffering from depression.
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