Woman, 21, Pleads Not Guilty in Death of Arleta Teen-Ager

One of two women accused of murder in the 1985 slaying of an Arleta teen-ager pleaded not guilty Monday in Glendale Municipal Court.

Laura Doyle, 21, is accused of drowning Michelle Y. Avila, 17, in a creek in the Angeles National Forest after a jealous argument about a boyfriend, said Deputy Dist. Atty. John Paul Bernardi.

Bernardi said Avila allegedly drove with Doyle to a creek near Colby Canyon Road on Oct. 2, 1985. They were followed in another car by a 17-year-old, who also is accused of murder, and Eva Chirumbolo, who has not been charged.

The four, all from Arleta, parked near the creek and walked to the water, Bernardi said. The argument between Avila and Doyle continued, he said, and Avila’s hair was cut off, apparently to harass her, before she was drowned.

At some time before the killing, Bernardi said, Chirumbolo walked back to the cars and waited. He would not elaborate.

Avila’s body was discovered by two hikers on Oct. 4, 1985.

Information From Witness

Doyle and the juvenile were arrested June 27, 1988, after sheriff’s deputies received information from a witness they would not identify.

After her arrest, Doyle told investigators she participated in the slaying, Bernardi said.

Doyle’s attorney, Ellery S. Sorkin, said his client was not capable of killing someone whom she had been “good friends with since elementary school.”

“My client has never caused trouble before this particular incident,” Sorkin said. “I believe the facts will show my client did not commit murder in the first degree.”

A murder petition has been filed in Juvenile Court against the other woman, who was 17 at the time but is now 20, he said.

Chirumbolo is not expected to be charged, Bernardi said. He declined to say whether she was the witness who provided investigators with information that led to the arrests.

Doyle is being held at Sybil Brand Institute for Women in lieu of $1-million bail. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life, Bernardi said.