Three Suspects Plead Not Guilty to Stabbing Death at the Hollywood & Highland Center

Three transients pleaded not guilty today to charges stemming from the stabbing death of a Lynwood woman who took their picture outside the Hollywood & Highland Center and refused their request for money.

Dustin James Kinnear, 26, was charged Thursday with murder, while Jason Joel Wolstone, 33, was charged with assault by means likely to produce bodily injury and two counts of accessory after the fact and 34-year-old Brian Joseph Widdows was charged with two counts of accessory after the fact.

The stabbing occurred around 8:10 p.m. Tuesday near the American Eagle store along Hollywood Boulevard in an area that is a magnet for tourists.

The victim, 27-year-old Christine Calderon, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The three men were expected to be arraigned this morning, but did not appear until after 3 p.m. Bailiffs said Kinnear had been uncooperative. Both he and Wolstone appeared in court wearing yellow jail clothes, which typically designate psychological issues of some kind.

During the arraignment, Kinnear, a large, broad-shouldered man with a mass of shoulder-length red hair and a long, scraggly goatee, stood quietly and answered Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Shelly Torrealba with a polite, "Yes, ma'am'' when asked if he would consent to July 3 as his next court date.

Torrealba set bail for him at $1,030,000.

Wolstone, who was thin and pale with tangled, shoulder-length brown hair and a scruffy beard, stood next to Widdows, who sported a tattoo on his shaved head. Bail was set for both Wolstone and Widdows at $500,000.

All three were ordered to return to court July 3, when a date will be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to go to trial.

Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti said Thursday the police presence would be increased along Hollywood Boulevard in response to the stabbing.

"These incidents may happen, but this one just ... horrified all of us at our core and we will not let this stand,'' according to Garcetti, whose City Council district includes the Hollywood & Highland Center.

"We're going to make sure there are police resources there, not just in the coming weeks, but for a longer period of time to reassure both locals and visitors.''

According to police, Calderon and a friend were walking in the area when they took cellphone pictures of the men, who were holding signs. They asked her to give them $1, but Calderon refused and she was stabbed, police said.

Calderon's mother, Yolande Tassin, told various media outlets she believes her daughter, who was black with an almost-shaved head and was a lesbian, was a victim of a hate crime.

"Christine's friend wasn't scratched, wasn't touched,'' Tassin told KCAL9. "They went after my daughter because of how she looked.''

Tassin said her daughter came a long way in a short time once she decided what she wanted to do for a career.

"She wanted to be an engineer and her focus was on education,'' Tassin said. "That was very important to her. She did nothing wrong. She was just taking pictures. I know Christi liked Hollywood.''

Tassin said her daughter was attacked in a heavily congested area.
 
"She was attacked in front of everybody,'' Tassin said. "People were just scattering every place. They couldn't believe what was happening.''

- City News Service