County IN BRIEF : LOS ANGELES : Man Charged in Studio City Slaying

A Montebello man was charged Wednesday with murder and robbery in connection with the slaying last month of a Studio City man, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said. Aris Karimalis, 32, pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday in Los Angeles Municipal Court and faces a preliminary hearing April 15, district attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said. Karimalis could face the death penalty because he allegedly committed the murder during a robbery, Gibbons said. Karimalis was arrested Monday after Los Angeles police recovered a 1979 Mercedes-Benz and part of a gun collection taken from Ronald Edward Kowall, 41, who was fatally shot in the head in his house in the 4500 block of Laurelgrove Avenue on March 16, Gibbons said. Kowall’s body was found two days later by his father, Edward Kowall, 76, of Northridge, Gibbons said.