Courtroom

A 70-year-old Burbank man accused of beating his wife to death appeared in court Wednesday in a wheelchair after suffering from a fractured shoulder and back spasms while in jail, his attorney said. Joseph Brancato faces murder charges after allegedly beating his 65-year-old wife, Marie Brancato, with a chair leg. His public defender, Kasie Lee, told a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Wednesday that her client has been unable to attend two previous hearings due to his medical issues.

BURBANK — A North Hollywood pain management doctor awaiting a two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to writing illegal prescriptions was found dead last weekend in his Burbank home, police said. Dr. Bernard Bass, 62, was discovered dead at 5:28 p.m. Sunday in the 800 block of East Andover Drive, Burbank Police Sgt. Thor Merich said. The case is being investigated, but police said they do not suspect foul play. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office Thursday confirmed Bass’ body was requested from the funeral home for an examination, toxicology analysis and autopsy, the results of which are expected in four to six weeks.

The continuing courtroom battle over whose god should be banned or permitted in pre-meeting prayer in the Burbank City Council chambers is a war of words, nothing more. It all started when Irv Rubin of the Jewish Defense League just happened to stop by a council meeting and received the shock of his life when the name of Jesus was invoked by a minister praying in the municipal venue before the meeting was gaveled to session. Rubin argued at the podium that the religious reference to Jesus in a room that conducts city business establishes sectarian prayer, which is prohibited by the 1st Amendment of the Constitution.

Despite strong objections from Burbank's City Council, L.A. County Superior Court is moving forward with a plan to move all of Glendale's criminal cases to Burbank's courthouse. This risky plan would unnecessarily endanger public safety, and it should be rejected. Court administrators are pushing the idea because of their bleak assessment of conditions at the Glendale courthouse. On this point, they are correct -- Glendale's courthouse is an unsuitable place to administer criminal justice.

Lolita Harper PASADENA -- A Burbank pastor who escaped torture in Iran to preach Christianity in the United States faces up to nine years in state prison for charges that include assault with the intent to commit rape. At a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Pasadena Superior Court Judge Judson W. Morris denied all motions to dismiss five counts against Robak Hoospianmer, 41, and ordered the pastor -- who earlier was released on his own recognizance -- back into custody in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Jackson Bell A judge ordered Juan Manuel Alvarez to stand trial on murder charges for the fiery train derailment on Jan. 26 that killed 11 passengers. Alvarez, a 25-year-old construction worker from Compton, will face 11 counts of murder as well as felony murder by arson, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William R. Pounders ruled. The defendant also faces special circumstances of train-wrecking and multiple murders, making him eligible for the death penalty if a jury finds he deliberately caused the crash.

LOS ANGELES — Of the 329 Los Angeles County Superior Court employees who received first-round layoff notices Tuesday, 29 were sent to the districts that include Burbank and Glendale, officials reported. April 1 will officially be the last day for the laid-off secretaries, supervisors, court reporters, clerks and child advocacy workers, officials said. The employees made up a significant portion of the court system’s 5,400-person workforce, which operates 580 courtrooms.

PASADENA — A store clerk testified in Pasadena Superior Court on Tuesday that she saw two alleged Burbank gang members fighting with a Glendale man two years ago, and that one of them then followed him into the store and fired eight gunshots. Nubia Verdin said she hid behind the front counter at the American Market just after 10 p.m. Sept. 21, 2007, when the shots rang out. After looking up from behind the counter and seeing red matter splattered throughout the market, she ran to the man, who was identified as Enrique Pinela.

Jenna Bordelon LONG BEACH -- Tensions exploded after a convicted sex offender and longtime John Muir Middle School teacher was given a probationary sentence. Family members and supporters of Ronald Kurtz, 60, clashed Monday with the parents of the 13-year-old boy who testified that Kurtz fondled him on a trip to Catalina Island in October 1999. The melee erupted outside the courtroom minutes after the sentence was handed down. Kurtz was convicted Nov. 9 in Long Beach Superior Court on a felony charge of committing a lewd act with a child under 14. He also was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of exploiting a child.