Grandson charged in murder of Glendale couple

Capital-murder charges were filed Tuesday against a 34-year-old man accused of using an ax to kill his elderly grandparents in their Glendale home, officials said.

William and Verna Scheiern, 77 and 82, respectively, were found dead in their home on June 28 when police went to check on them after an out-of-state relative reported that she’d not heard from them and was concerned.

Police believe Nathaniel Scheiern, who had lived with his grandparents in Glendale for about a year, killed them three or four days before their bodies were discovered.

The grandson was charged on Tuesday with two counts of capital murder, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

When police entered the home in the 600 block of Alexander Street through the open front door, they found the two bodies, which were significantly decomposed. The victims both died of blood loss from traumatic injuries, police said.

Nathaniel Scheiern is slated to be arraigned later this month and is being held without bail. He could face the death penalty or a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, authorities said.

Detectives named him as a person of interest last week, but could not interview him for several days because he’d been involved in a solo-car crash on the Golden State (5) Freeway that left him hospitalized at the Henry Mayo Hospital in Valencia with “significant” but non-life-threatening injuries.

Neighbors said the couple had lived in the home for more than 20 years.

“She was a very generous lady,” said a woman who worked at Verna Scheiern’s dentist’s office.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, added that the victim paid for Nathaniel Scheiern’s dental work, but was frustrated at the financial burden he caused.

“She was sick of it, but her husband still wanted to help him,” she said. “She didn’t deserve this.”