A Brentwood man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he fatally stabbed his 75-year-old mother and wounded his 82-year-old father at the couple’s home in Santa Monica.
Stephen Lloyd Fader, 42, is charged with murdering his mother, Sharon, and trying to kill his father, Howard, late last month. Both victims were stabbed multiple times.
The charges include allegations that he used a knife as a deadly weapon and that he inflicted great bodily injury on his father.
Santa Monica police responded just before 6:30 a.m. Jan. 24 to a report of a man in need of help in the 1200 block of Sunset Avenue and found two men and a woman suffering from multiple stab wounds.
Sharon Fader died at the scene, and Howard Fader was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
The defendant was also initially hospitalized with stab wounds to his stomach. He remained in the hospital for a week under police supervision and was booked when he was discharged a week later, according to Santa Monica police Lt. Saul Rodriguez.
Fader has remained behind bars since his Jan. 31 arrest. If convicted as charged, he could face a maximum of 32 years to life in state prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.