L.A. County to Act as Conservator for Disabled Man Accused of Hollywood Murder

By City News Service

A Los Angeles judge Wednesday ordered the county to act as conservator for an 86-year-old disabled man suspected of fatally shooting a handyman who was fixing a sink in his Hollywood apartment and trying to kill another man.

Nattie Kennebrew Jr., who was diagnosed with delusional disorder with dementia and is legally blind, has spent the past four years at Patton State Hospital, according to Superior Court Judge Norm Shapiro.

In his ruling to keep Kennebrew in the locked psychiatric hospital, Shapiro agreed with prosecutors who said that the octogenarian remains a threat to public safety.

The care of Kennebrew was the subject of at least two long court sessions. The Office of the Public Guardian's policy has been to decline to act a conservator for criminal suspects suffering from dementia and other mental illnesses deemed incurable.

Deputy District Attorney James Falco argued before Shapiro last week that mental health officials were "arbitrary" in their reasoning for turning Kennebrew away, adding that the county's refusal was irrational and "an abuse of their discretion."