Murder Suspect Appears in Court

Accused murderer Aubrey Wadford appeared in court Friday morning for his arraignment at the same time that authorities released the name of his alleged victim and additional details around the killing.

Police say Wadford fatally stabbed 39-year-old Angela Laskey during a domestic dispute early Wednesday morning in a West Olivos Street apartment. Officers, responding to a disturbance call, discovered Laskey’s body inside and arrested Wadford at the scene. It’s not clear if the two, who were not married, both lived at the residence. Their 2-year-old daughter was present at the time of the killing but was unharmed, police said.

Authorities have charged Wadford with one count of murder with the special allegation that he used a deadly weapon — a knife — in the homicide. The arraignment hearing was rescheduled for November 4, and Wadford did not enter a plea. He’s being held in County Jail on $1 million bail.

Laskey, originally from Dumfries, Scotland, had been abused by Wadford in the past, authorities said. In court filings, prosecutors said they intend to introduce evidence of “prior act(s) of domestic violence committed by the defendant.” Laskey’s mother flew into Los Angeles last night and has been in touch with detectives and Child Welfare advocates to take custody of her granddaughter, police said.

According to the Scottish paper the Daily Record, Laskey moved to the U.S. with her family when she was 16, and her mother returned to Dumfries eight years ago. Laskey’s sister-in-law, Elaine McMillan, told the Daily Record that the family is “numb with shock.”

Wadford was represented in court Friday morning by Deputy Public Defender Jennifer Archer, who successfully lobbied the judge to deny media photographs of Wadford. She cited the fact that Wadford is African American and was worried images of him in custody could taint the jury pool. “It’s a small town, and this is a big case,” she said. The judge intimated that the media would be allowed to photograph Wadford at a later date.

Prosecutor Von Nguyen said she could not provide any more information on the case or about Wadford’s history of domestic violence.