David Alvarez

As a youth growing up in a gang- and drug-plagued San Bernardino barrio in the late 1960s, David Alvarez never did what might have been expected of him. The young Latino could have succumbed to crime like many of his friends, some of whom are imprisoned to this day, he says. Or, already married and with an infant son at age 17, he could have followed his father into a lifelong career as a railroad worker.

Although they have little hope of getting any money, the parents of slain Oak View teen Kali Manley were awarded $1.01 million Monday in a wrongful-death lawsuit against convicted killer David Alvarez. The 24-year-old Ojai man, who pleaded guilty to murder earlier this year and is serving a prison sentence of 25 years to life, never responded to the lawsuit.

The man accused of strangling 14-year-old Kali Manley pleaded not guilty Thursday to a murder charge and a special allegation of attempted rape. David Alvarez, his head shaved and wearing jail blues, didn't speak during his brief appearance before Superior Court Judge Edward Brodie. Instead, his attorney, James Farley, told Brodie they "deny each and every count." Alvarez, 22, is accused of strangling Manley, a Nordhoff High School freshman, while trying to force her to have sex in the early morning hours of Dec. 20, 1998.

Smirking and minimizing his criminal conduct to the end, David Alvarez was sentenced Thursday to 25 years to life in prison for the slaying of Kali Manley, the Oak View girl whose disappearance and death punctured the illusion of safety for residents of the Ojai Valley. Against the advice of his attorneys, the 23-year-old defendant stood in Ventura County Superior Court and read a handwritten statement in which he said he isn't even sure the 14-year-old girl died at his hands.

David Alvarez, the man who led investigators to the body of 14-year-old Oak View resident Kali Manley, will be charged with her murder possibly as early as today, authorities said Monday. But it's unclear if the case will be handled by local prosecutors. Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury has notified the state attorney general that he may have a conflict of interest in prosecuting the case against Alvarez, 22, because he is a friend of the suspect's wealthy parents. "I know Mr.

Thanks to Patrick Goldstein I found out that Buster Poindexter's going to make a movie with Bill Murray (Pop Eye, Jan. 24). I'm glad I'm not the only MTV viewer that thinks he's hot! Hot! Hot! DAVID ALVAREZ Los Angeles

The state attorney general's office has determined that Ventura County Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury does not have a conflict of interest in the case of David Alvarez. The 22-year-old Ojai man remains the prime suspect--though he has yet to be charged--in last month's strangulation of Oak View teenager Kali Manley. Alvarez's father is a friend and political supporter of Bradbury.

There were no heated debates between lawyers. The volley of offers that can accompany plea negotiations didn't happen. There was no sudden mea culpa by the killer. The deal for David Alvarez, who admitted in court on Friday to killing 14-year-old Kali Manley of Oak View, was raised only recently and handled swiftly. Two weeks ago, Alvarez's attorney asked prosecutors if they would accept a guilty plea to murder in exchange for dropping other charges. The answer a couple of days later was "yes."

Re "U.S., Mexico Argue Over Accused Killer," Sept. 18: Mexico is sending a clear message to the U.S.: Promise us no death penalty for David "Spooky" Alvarez; if you don't promise us, then we will release this [alleged] killer. How much more stupid and sick can Mexico get by threatening the citizens of Mexico and the U.S. by releasing an accused multiple killer. This attitude helps explain why Mexico is so corrupt and hundreds of thousands of Mexicans risk their lives yearly to sneak into America.

Slain Oak View teen Kali Manley had no injuries that indicated she was sexually assaulted before her death, but autopsy results did find trace amounts of drugs and alcohol in her system, the county's medical examiner testified Wednesday. The findings by Dr. Ronald O'Halloran undermine a special allegation that the 14-year-old girl was murdered during an attempted rape on Dec. 20, 1998.

There were no heated debates between lawyers. The volley of offers that can accompany plea negotiations didn't happen. There was no sudden mea culpa by the killer. The deal for David Alvarez, who admitted in court on Friday to killing 14-year-old Kali Manley of Oak View, was raised only recently and handled swiftly. Two weeks ago, Alvarez's attorney asked prosecutors if they would accept a guilty plea to murder in exchange for dropping other charges. The answer a couple of days later was "yes."

The man accused of strangling 14-year-old Kali Manley pleaded not guilty Thursday to a murder charge and a special allegation of attempted rape. David Alvarez, his head shaved and wearing jail blues, didn't speak during his brief appearance before Superior Court Judge Edward Brodie. Instead, his attorney, James Farley, told Brodie they "deny each and every count."

Slain Oak View teen Kali Manley had no injuries that indicated she was sexually assaulted before her death, but autopsy results did find trace amounts of drugs and alcohol in her system, the county's medical examiner testified Wednesday. The findings by Dr. Ronald O'Halloran undermine a special allegation that the 14-year-old girl was murdered during an attempted rape on Dec. 20, 1998.

A detective testified Tuesday that murder suspect David Alvarez snorted cocaine and sought other drugs just hours before he allegedly strangled Oak View teen Kali Manley. Sheriff's Det. Daniel Thompson told a judge during a preliminary hearing that on the night of Dec. 19, Alvarez was despondent over a fight with some friends and went to visit former schoolmate Robert Miears to score some cocaine.

Three months after he led authorities to the body of a missing Oak View teenager, David Ramiro Alvarez was charged Thursday with Kali Manley's murder. In a brief court appearance, Alvarez, 22, pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted rape, charges that make the Ojai man eligible for the death penalty. Authorities allege that Alvarez strangled Manley while trying to force the teen to have sex with him.

The state attorney general's office has determined that Ventura County Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury does not have a conflict of interest in the case of David Alvarez. The 22-year-old Ojai man remains the prime suspect--though he has yet to be charged--in last month's strangulation of Oak View teenager Kali Manley. Alvarez's father is a friend and political supporter of Bradbury.

Smirking and minimizing his criminal conduct to the end, David Alvarez was sentenced Thursday to 25 years to life in prison for the slaying of Kali Manley, the Oak View girl whose disappearance and death punctured the illusion of safety for residents of the Ojai Valley. Against the advice of his attorneys, the 23-year-old defendant stood in Ventura County Superior Court and read a handwritten statement in which he said he isn't even sure the 14-year-old girl died at his hands.

As detectives forged ahead with their investigation into last month's slaying of Oak View teenager Kali Manley, the prime suspect in her homicide appeared briefly in a Ventura County courtroom Monday on unrelated charges. David Alvarez, a stocky 22-year-old with bushy eyebrows and thick arms, stared at a throng of reporters and TV crews drawn not by his terrorist threats case but by his possible involvement in Manley's slaying. The 14-year-old was last seen the night of Dec.