Crime & Safety

No Contest Plea in Trousdale Estate Stabbing Death

Chie Alexandra Coggins Johnson will be sentenced April 20 while her co-defendant awaits a hearing to determine whether he will stand trial in the death of Katsutoshi Tony Takazato.

The 21-year-old woman who had been charged with her boyfriend in the of Katsutoshi Tony Takazato in Beverly Hills pleaded no contest Friday to assault with a deadly weapon.

Chie Alexandra Coggins Johnson is being prosecuted under the theory of aiding and abetting. She faces 365 days in county jail and five years' probation during her scheduled sentencing on April 20, according to Shiara Davila-Morales of the L.A. County district attorney's office. Davila-Morales said that despite an objection from the prosecution, Johnson was ordered released on her own recognizance.

Co-defendant Scott Joseph Barker, 23, is awaiting a hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial on a murder charge.

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Takazato, 21, was found dead July 20 outside his father's home on the 1800 block of Carla Ridge in the exclusive Trousdale Estates neighborhood.

Johnson had dated the victim before she began dating Barker, who allegedly became enraged upon learning that Takazato may have physically abused Johnson, according to prosecutors. The criminal complaint alleges that Barker used a knife during the commission of the crime.

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Takazato is the son of Fuminori Hayashida, who produced several movies in the 1990s, including Lured Innocence starring Dennis Hopper.

This report was compiled with information from City News Service.


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