Scott Joseph Barker Murder Trial: Prostitution and Revenge?

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is accusing Scott Joseph Barker, who is charged in the July 2010 stabbing death of Katsutoshi Tony Takazato in Beverly Hills, of killing Takazato to avenge the mistreatment of a woman both men had dated, according to the L.A. Weekly.

Chie Alexandra Coggins Johnson was allegedly pushed into prostitution and porn by Takazato when they dated to help pay off his gambling debts. After Johnson and Takazato broke up, she began dating Barker. When Barker learned about Takazato's alleged abuse of Johnson, prosecutors say he became enraged, confronted Takazato and stabbed him 58 times. The victim was found dead at about 6 a.m. July 20, 2010, outside his father's home on the 1800 block of Carla Ridge in the exclusive Trousdale Estates neighborhood. L.A. County Coroner Ed Winter had described the murder scene as "very bloody."

When the stabbing death took place, Barker was 23 years old, Takazato was 21 and Johnson was 20.

The L.A. Weekly reports:

It's clear that three attractive young people made terrible life choices leading up to Takazato's alleged murder. Johnson, now 22, who dated both Takazato and Barker, has told L.A. County deputy district attorneys Linda Loftfield and Amy Carter that she drove Barker from the murder scene to Malibu, where Barker washed his bloody clothes and blood-soaked car mats in the ocean and stashed them in a Malibu ravine.

Johnson had been charged as an accomplice in the murder with Barker before being prosecuted under the theory of aiding and abetting. She later pleaded no contest, route: {:controller=>"articles", :action=>"show", :id=>"no-contest-plea-in-trousdale-estates-stabbing-death"} --> to assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to