Jury Trial

Jackson Bell A male prostitute convicted of strangling a Burbank man and then setting fire to the man's apartment has been sentenced to 20 years to life for his crimes. Juan Carlos Martinez, a 20-year-old transient, was sentenced Oct. 22 in a Pasadena Superior Court for second-degree murder and arson of an inhabited structure. He received five years in prison for the arson conviction and 15 years to life for the slaying of 62-year-old Charles Rivas.

Karen S. Kim BURBANK -- A lawsuit filed in Burbank Superior Court in March by passengers of the Southwest Airlines flight that crashed last year at Burbank Airport was moved Wednesday to a federal court in downtown Los Angeles at the request of Southwest's attorneys. Though the plaintiffs' attorney, Clark Aristei, said the move could negatively influence his clients' jury, since a federal case requires a unanimous vote instead of a majority vote, attorneys for Southwest said the airline has agreed not to contest charges of negligence and that a jury trial probably won't be necessary.

Amber Willard CIVIC CENTER -- The jury trial for a frequent council critic Theresa Karam accused of obstructing an officer in the performance of his duties was postponed Tuesday for the second time. Karam is accused of ignoring an officer's order to stay outside the overcrowded chamber at an August meeting. She is scheduled to return to Burbank Superior Court on May 2 for a trial on the misdemeanor charge. Deputy City Atty. Jina Oh added a charge of refusing to leave property at the request of an officer against Karam on Tuesday.

Amber Willard CIVIC CENTER -- The jury trial has been delayed for a North Hollywood woman accused of obstructing an officer in the performance of his duties at an August City Council meeting. Theresa Karam, a frequent speaker at council meetings, is scheduled to return to Burbank Superior Court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. The misdemeanor charge stems from the Aug. 3 meeting, when police said Karam, a psychologist, ignored an officer's order to wait outside the packed City Council chamber.

Amber Willard CIVIC CENTER -- The jury trial for a retired Burbank police officer suspected of threatening a neighbor with a gun was continued until next month. Burbank Municipal Court Judge Rand Rubin agreed Tuesday to delay the trial at the request of Albert Madrid's attorney, Robert Walters. Madrid did not appear in court Tuesday morning with Walters. The trial is scheduled for April 18 in municipal court. Walters requested the extension because he plans to submit an extensive discovery request to the city attorney's office, which is prosecuting the case.