Orange County man arrested in 1979 killing of Torrance nurse
Personal Injury News
Article Date: 5/13/2009 | Resource: MLG
Orange County man arrested in 1979 killing of Torrance nurse
An Orange County engineer was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of killing a Torrance nurse found strangled and stabbed to death in her apartment nearly 30 years ago.
Douglas Gordon Bradford, 57, of Costa Mesa allegedly stabbed Lynne Knight, 28, more than 15 times and used a homemade garrot to strangle her, Torrance police Sgt. Bernard Anderson said.
Knight’s body was discovered Aug. 30, 1979 in her apartment in the 21200 block of Anza Avenue. The garrot was found near her.
Bradford and Knight, who was originally from Canada, had dated and broken up, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said.
He was a California State University, Long Beach engineering student at the time.
Police detectives investigated the case, but it went nowhere. In 1982, they declared it inactive and it went cold on a shelf for years.
In the late 1990s, police began trying again.
After years of work, prosecutors on Tuesday filed one count of murder, including the allegation that he used a deadly weapon.
He could spend 26 years to life in prison if convicted.
Knight died just before she was to fly home to her native Canada to spend a week recruiting nurses for her employer, Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance.
She also planned to participate in her sister’s wedding, serving as maid of honor.
Knight moved to Southern California to work at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, but moved to Little Company,working with newborns in the neonatal unit.
A former beauty contestant, Knight enjoyed running, skiing and scuba diving.
For years, her family hoped for closure, for someone to see justice.
“Nothing is ever going to bring her back no matter what they do,” her father, Clair Knight, told the Daily Breeze in 2002. “But it would be nice to see the culprit get what’s coming to him.”
For more information regarding this article please contact:
Jeffrey Marquart
(949)589-0150
jmarquart@marquartlawgroup.com