 Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - The man accused of capital murder in the slaying of his estranged girlfriend entered a plea October 10. Robert Anthony Camou, 27, pleaded not guilty in the death of Amanda Custer, 31, who disappeared July 29. She was last seen being placed in the rear hatch of a Toyota Prius outside a Monrovia home. Blood was found inside the home. Custer has not been seen or heard from since. Camou faces a count of murder with a special circumstance allegation of killing a witness and an allegation that he was out on bail when he committed the crime. He is also charged with one felony count each of first-degree burglary, person present; injuring a girlfriend; and assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. The charges also include one misdemeanor count of battery, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Deputy District Attorney Melanie Drew alleges while Camou was out on bail for a previous assault, Camou killed Custer on or around July 29. Camou was out on bail connected to an April 22 assault in which Camou allegedly battered his girlfriend, strangled her and threatened her with a stun gun, Drew said. Custer fled to a nearby home where Camou chased her into and battered a male resident who tried to stop him. If convicted as charged, Camou faces life in prison without parole or death.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - With low humidity and predicted strong winds forecast for the next few days, authorities have closed portions of local mountain areas.
The gates to Chantry Flats and Bailey Canyon Park were closed Wednesday night at 8 p.m. and are not scheduled to reopen until Saturday, October 12 at 6 a.m. Glendora Mountain Road and Glendora Ridge Road, which closed at 3 p.m. Wednesday, are scheduled to reopen October 12 at 10 a.m. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the majority of Los Angeles and Ventura counties from 3 a.m. Thursday to 6 p.m. Friday. Critical fire weather conditions will plague the area with humidity in the 3 to 10 percent range and wind gusts from 45 to 55 miles per hour in the valleys and coastal areas, according to the National Weather Service. There is the potential for rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior, the NWS said. Affected Areas Will Be Closed Until Saturday Morning. CLICK TO READ MORE  PHOTO/Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - Homicide detectives have expanded their search for a woman not seen since July 29. Detectives are searching the Lytle Creek area, where suspect Robert Anthony Camou apparently has great knowledge of. His girlfriend Amanda Custer has been missing since she was taken against her will, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “We are asking the community to remain vigilant and keep an eye out for Amanda Custer,” deputies said in a written statement. Deputies are also searching the San Gabriel Mountains in the Glendora Ridge Road and Mt. Baldy Road areas. Camou was apparently witnessed placing Custer into his grey Prius after an assault occurred in a Monrovia home. Police entered the home after Camou drove away with Custer and found blood inside. Camou was found sleeping in his Prius in Los Angeles July 30 and was arrested after a lengthy standoff. Camou is being held on an unrelated, no-bail domestic violence warrant.
Camou infamously was recorded rapping about killing a woman and burying her in the dirt. The video was recorded hours before his arrest. If anyone has information on Amanda Custer’s whereabouts or any information about her disappearance, call 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).  IMAGE/KTLA News. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - Homicide Investigators believe the suspect seen allegedly kidnapping his girlfriend July 29 from her Monrovia home may have driven to the mountains above Claremont just hours after a domestic attack. The suspect, 27-year-old Robert Anthony Camou, was witnessed taking Amanda Custer, 31, from her Monrovia home around 8:15 a.m. July 29. Sheriff’s Homicide detectives state Camou’s 2017 four-door Toyota Prius was seen north on Padua Road in Claremont heading to Mt. Baldy. “Anyone on or off road, in the area of Mount Baldy (Mount Baldy Road, Glendora Ridge Road, Glendora Mountain Road) on Monday July 29, 2019, between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., that observed suspect Camou, victim Custer and/or the Toyota Prius, are encouraged to contact Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. Police entered the home where the attack occurred July 29 and reportedly found blood inside. Camou was found around 2:45 a.m. the following day, sleeping in his Prius parked at South Hill Street and West Second Street in Downtown Los Angeles. He was arrested after an hours-long standoff -- Custer was nowhere to be found.  PHOTO/Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Camou is being held without bail on unrelated burglary and domestic violence charges, the Sheriff’s Department said.
In a bizarre twist, a video surfaced of Camou rapping at an L.A. club. In the song, Camou spoke of killing a woman and burying her in dirt. He mentioned police were looking for him before exiting off screen. “Although the extent of Victim Custer’s injuries are unknown, Homicide Detectives believe she may be in grave danger,” the Sheriff’s Department said. Anyone who has seen Custer or knows her whereabouts is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor CHINO HILLS - A brush fire has been stopped at 100 acres, but not before destroying one home Sunday. The fire was reported near Chino Hills Parkway and Falling Star Lane just before 1:24 p.m. July 28. Forward progress of the flames was stopped by both Chino Valley firefighters and Los Angeles County firefighters.
Flames stayed within Chino Hills city limits, but did encroach on the Los Angeles County line. A very large home was destroyed by the fire in the 2000 block of Miramonte Court.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A preliminary magnitude 7.1 earthquake has rocked SoCal, centered nearly 11 miles north northeast of Ridgecrest, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake hit relatively close to where a magnitude 6.4 quake hit in Inyo County. Dr. Lucy Jones of Caltech said the 6.4 quake from July was a foreshock to today's temblor. "This was a M7.1 on the same fault as has been producing the Searles Valley sequence. This is part of the same sequence," Jones said via social media. SoCal law enforcement and fire agencies are performing critical facilities checks throughout their cities to ensure no damage has occurred. The quake received a preliminary 7.1. magnitude initially and was downgraded to a 6.9 before being upgraded to a 7.1. This story will be updated as information becomes available.  Cameron Scott Lykins, 23, was arrested soon after a bloody murder scene was discovered in Ventura County May 12. The body was found June 23. PHOTO/Venturay County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - The identity of a partially-decomposed body found deep in the Angeles National Forest was released Thursday as well as that of a suspect in a May 12 killing. The body of Houston Alexander Auer, 22, was found by a patrolling game warden with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife Sunday June 23 in thick brush near Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road and Colby Ranch Road, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. The body was identified as that of Auer, a murder victim of 23-year-old Cameron Scott Lykins. The two lived in the unincorporated community of Meiners Oaks. The murder occurred in the home the two shared in the 1100 block of Meyer Road, Ventura County investigators said. Lykins took Auer’s body after killing him with a sledgehammer, drove it hundreds of miles to the San Gabriel Mountains and disposed of it, Ventura County investigators allege. Lykins, who fled to Lone Pine in Inyo County where he was arrested, refused to tell investigators the location of Auer after he was arrested May 12. “Detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office were alerted to the investigation and worked with the Los Angeles County agencies to identify the victim as Houston Auer,” Ventura County investigators said.
Lykins is jailed at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility on $2 million bail. His next scheduled court date is July 10.  Timothy Cortinas died in a hot vehicle in West Covina in August of 2018. Courtesy photo. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against a man accused in the death of a dependent adult in 2018. Emanuel Arellano, 25, surrendered to deputies at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station Thursday at 7:30 a.m. Six days prior, the county DA filed charges of involuntary manslaughter and dependent care abuse in the death of 51-year-old Timothy Cortinas. Cortinas was left inside Arrellano’s hot vehicle August 3, 2018 in the 300 block of South Frankfurt Avenue in West Covina. Cortinas, a Walnut resident, was an intellectually-disabled adult being transported with two other passengers. The latter two were dropped off at their locations. Cortinas was somehow forgotten and left to suffer sweltering temperatures in the August sun at Arellano's home.
It was at least two hours before Cortinas was found unresponsive in Arellano’s vehicle. He died at the scene. Last year, Irene Melendez, mother of Cortinas, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Easter Seals (the organization the driver worked for), Holy Family Children’s Care and the San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Center. Arellano posted bond and was released Thursday at 2:21 p.m. He was scheduled for a June 7 court appearance, according to Los Angeles County booking records. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A San Gabriel man was named Friday less than a day after dying by gunfire during a barricade that shut down a huge section of freeway and cause two homes to burn. Jose Salvador Meza, 35, was identified by Sarah Ardalani of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Meza died as he began exiting a rear door to a burning home in the 2000 block of Brighton Street in San Gabriel Thursday afternoon. Armed with a shotgun, Meza was hit by gunfire and fell at the door where he was eventually declared dead. Meza is accused of firing on San Gabriel Police officers just before 12:30 p.m. June 6 when they arrived to investigate a domestic disturbance call. San Gabriel officers returned fire. Meza barricaded himself and fired his weapon inside the home numerous times during the ordeal. A fire erupted inside one home at the triplex property. Meza fled to a secondary home, pistol in hand, where a second fire broke out.
Authorities shut down both east and west lanes of the I-10 freeway from San Gabriel Boulevard to Del Mar Avenue out of an abundance of caution. Meza continued to flee around the property as residents were evacuated, firefighters worked to battle the fires and deputies worked to get Meza to surrender. During the barricade, Meza allegedly ignited fireworks which were caught on live news as the exploded. Some launched in the air. Meza armed himself with two handguns before fleeing into one of the burning homes where he found a shotgun. Homicide investigators have not yet stated if Meza died by deputy gunfire, or if the injuries were self-inflicted. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA HABRA - Detectives from La Habra Police and the Sheriff’s Industry Station are investigating three suspects accused of being involved in a Hacienda Heights home invasion robbery Tuesday. After Industry detectives identified a stolen vehicle they believe was used in the home invasion robbery, they learned La Habra officers had the vehicle and were searching for the suspects, according to Lt. James Long of the Sheriff’s Industry Station. La Habra officers found a stolen gold 2008 Acura at a Chevron ExtraMile, 110 S. Harbor Blvd., before Noon. It is believed to be the same car seen fleeing the area of the home invasion, according to Sgt. Jose Rocha of the La Habra Police Department. Three suspects fled the Acura when La Habra officers attempted to contact them, setting off a containment search, Rocha said.
Two 17-year-olds and an 18-year-old were found and taken into custody without further incident, Rocha said. There was property inside the Acura that detectives are working to link to the Hacienda Heights home invasion, Rocha said. The home invasion occurred around 10:30 a.m. in the 16000 block of Santa Bianca Drive Tuesday. Three suspects, one of them reported armed, entered a window and took $300 in cash, according to Sgt. David Cortinas of the Sheriff’s Industry Station. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate! |
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