BDSM MEDIA NEWS!!!!
23 march 2011
Suspect in Lennox bondage club fire, slaying to stand trial
Source: www.contracostatimes.com - Contracostatimes.com - USA
USA- LENNOX- A man accused of killing a Lennox bondage club owner was a disgruntled former employee who was angry that he had lost his job, a position that enabled him to socialize with dominatrixes and fulfill a sexual fetish, court testimony revealed this week.
David Edward Albert, 54, of Simi Valley allegedly was so upset he confronted owner John Lavine in his office, attempted to strangle him, shot him repeatedly - including one bullet to the back of the head - doused his body with rubbing alcohol and set it on fire, detectives testified.
On Wednesday, after a two-day preliminary hearing in Inglewood court that included testimony about leather floggings, spankings and "swingers' parties,"
Albert was ordered to stand trial for killing Lavine and intentionally setting the bondage club ablaze. The fire also killed Lavine's dog, Koda. Albert, held on $2 million bail, also faces animal cruelty and arson charges. He is scheduled for arraignment in Torrance Superior Court on April1, Deputy District Attorney Marc Chomel said.
Appearing disheveled in his brown jailhouse jumpsuit, Albert conferred with his attorney, Winston McKesson, frequently during the proceeding. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Albert was arrested July 27, shortly after firefighters and deputies responded to a report of smoke billowing from the Passive Arts Studio, an industrial building in the Los Angeles International Airport flight path at 10914 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Deputies found Albert hiding in the bushes across the street as the building burned. Deputy Angelo Lopez, who spotted him first, said Albert was covered with soot and appeared to have fresh wounds on his right hand.
Albert said he had been hit by a car at 104th Street, Lopez said.
Lopez did not believe him, because his injuries seemed to indicate he was in a fire.
"He appeared to be upset and somewhat evasive about answering questions," Lopez said. "I knew he wasn't being totally honest with me."
Albert quickly became a suspect in a homicide when firefighters discovered Lavine's body lying on his back in his gutted office inside the bondage club.
One hand was clenched in a fist, upright, sheriff's arson Detective Michael Cofield said.
Investigators testified the fire was set with rubbing alcohol, poured over Lavine's body. Earlier testimony suggested Albert often used rubbing alcohol to clean the business.
Detectives testified that the barrel of a melted revolver was found next to the body. It contained six shell casings.
Three of the bullets removed from Lavine's body were linked to that gun, along with a seventh casing found in Albert's pocket. He possibly had fired a practice round earlier, Chomel said.
The violence ended what apparently had been a working relationship between Lavine and Albert for a few years. Albert worked maintenance for Lavine, cleaning up after parties.
His job also enabled him to partake in the club's activities. Customers at Passive Arts chose from a range of rooms to role-play their their fantasies with dominatrixes, including a schoolroom with desks and chairs, a "Bastille" jail cell complete with a bondage bed, and a room designed to commit torture.
