Friends of Slain Northridge Teen Hint at Family Problems
- From: millhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: 11 Aug 2006 09:49:27 -0700
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-family11aug11,1,4679680,full.story?coll=la-headlines-california
Friends of Slain Northridge Teen Hint at Family Problems
A brother is the suspect in the stabbing death of the 16-year-old and
her parents.
By Lynn Doan and Richard Winton, Times Staff Writers
August 11, 2006
Moments before succumbing to multiple stab wounds on Aug. 3, Ashley
Menard frantically called 911 for help from the backyard of her
parents' Northridge home, police said.
The 16-year-old's bloodied body was found by investigators later that
morning in the yard next to a koi pond where she apparently had fled
from her attacker, who police said was wielding "a large knife." In the
foyer of the house were the bodies of her parents, David and Toni
Menard, both of whom had been repeatedly stabbed. David had also been
shot at least once.
ADVERTISEMENTShortly after Ashley's 911 call, her brother, Brandon,
phoned police to report finding his parents' bodies, said Kevin
Maiberger, an LAPD spokesman. A few hours later, Brandon, a 21-year-old
Pierce College student, was arrested at the scene in connection with
the slayings. He has since been charged in all three deaths.
On Thursday afternoon, Scott Menard, 27, the eldest sibling, walked up
the concrete path to his childhood home, staring dazedly at the
memorial balloons, cards and candles scattered across the frontyard and
porch of the single-story house.
Since the slayings, Scott Menard has gone to the house every day,
wandering aimlessly through the rooms, trying to understand how this
could have happened to his family.
"We really were the picture-perfect family," he said as he stood in the
frontyard smoking a cigarette.
Indeed, from the outside, the Menards had appeared to be happy.
David Menard, 56, was a successful real estate broker; his wife, Toni,
55, was a nursing supervisor. Scott is a Seattle firefighter, and
Brandon, in addition to attending college, is an active Boy Scout.
Ashley was a popular dancer at Granada Hills Charter High School.
Neighbors said the family was close, eating dinner together daily and
always planning trips together.
But some of Ashley's friends said there were problems. They said the
teenager - who, like her two siblings, was adopted - often
complained about her father's strictness and talked of growing tensions
between him and Brandon, who frequently left home to live with friends.
"Brandon became more violent during each passing year," said one
friend, who asked not to be identified. "He became cold and distant to
everyone."
On more than one occasion, Ashley's friend said, Brandon broke into the
family's home to steal jewelry, money and credit cards. He also fought
with his parents about rent and curfews.
"Mrs. Menard kept giving him chances, saying, 'Oh, he'll change,' " the
friend said. "But he never did."
Another friend recalled Ashley breaking into tears at school when
problems flared at home.
"The only time she didn't have a smile on her face was when she came to
school and cried or was upset because she was having family problems,"
her friend said.
Those close to Brandon maintained their belief in his innocence but
acknowledged that he also spoke of trouble at home.
Richard Collingwood, who had met the suspect outside a coffee shop
while playing cards, said Brandon often fought with his parents and
eventually moved in with Collingwood.
"They didn't seem to be any sort of extreme arguments," he said. "It
was just stupid stuff as far as I could tell."
In any case, Brandon wouldn't hurt his family, especially Ashley, with
whom he maintained a close relationship, Collingwood said. "It
stretches the imagination to imagine him killing his parents," he said.
"But his sister? I can't believe it. It's just not true."
Friends said Brandon and Ashley spent a lot of time together. They
worked alongside each other at Spooky House, a seasonal haunted house
in Northridge. Brandon also chauffeured his sister around because she
didn't have a driver's license and often took her to see the
continually running cult movie "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," a
favorite of both.
Their MySpace.com profiles also reveal striking similarities in their
personalities. They both loved classic rock, particularly the Who, and
both feared spiders. They also liked Stephen King novels. And while
Brandon wrote and posted stories about zombies, Ashley listed "The
Zombie Survival Guide" as one of her favorite books.
Each said their parental relationships were fine, "unless they're on
one of they're SCHIZO stages," Brandon wrote in one entry.
But the siblings' websites also revealed some differences, including
Brandon's penchant for reading "autopsy textbooks."
"I'm just kinda spooky like that, y'know?" he wrote.
The aspiring writer also kept several online journals in which he
posted photos of himself along with stories of murder, greed and the
afterlife. Some entries, dating to April 2003, are filled with
references to vampires, zombies and conversations with the devil.
Others are brief but no less dark.
"I want to drown the world in blood," he wrote on May 5, 2003.
The journals also show signs of a conflicted personality. On some
occasions, Brandon wrote about love, depression and of one day having a
family. But in one entry, he pointed out that "some people in this
world, mainly myself, are just not suited for parenthood."
Like some "goth" youths, who favor a macabre look and culture, Brandon
had taken to wearing dark clothing, including a black trench coat -
earning him the nickname "Columbine," a reference to the similarly
dressed Colorado teenagers who went on a deadly shooting rampage at
their high school in 1999.
But in his August 2004 journal entry, Brandon, who remained active in
Boy Scouts even after reaching the group's highest rank as an Eagle
Scout, wrote disapprovingly of goths:
" 'Goth' kids are outcasts, loners, self-imposed exiles, but ... come
on! I mean, I'm not cool, and even I know it's not cool to walk around
dressed like Edward Scissorhands."
On Thursday, Scott Menard hesitated before talking about the murder
charges against his brother. He and his fiancee have yet to visit
Brandon since he was arrested, citing busy schedules and unreasonable
visiting hours.
"He is family," said Scott, adding that he wished his brother could
attend today's funeral for their parents and sister. "But I think we
need to find out what happened in court."
Kevin McHenry, Toni Menard's brother, also visited his sister's home
Thursday afternoon. He walked away with a framed picture of the family.
When asked about his nephew Brandon, McHenry declined to comment.
But Ashley's friends said they felt obligated to tell of Brandon's
troubles. Perhaps, if he is the killer, the information will help put
their best friend's case to rest, they said.
"I know his Boy Scout troop thinks it wasn't him," one friend wrote in
an e-mail. "But then I must ask, if not Brandon, then who?"
.
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