Laverne Stolzy, a 56-year-old woman, was brutally murdered in her South Los Angeles home on June 25, 1984. She had turned 56 just a week before her death. Stolzy was attacked with a two-by-four, leaving severe gashes on her head. The crime was part of a series of violent offenses committed by Kevin Bernard Haley, who was later convicted of multiple murders, rapes, burglaries, and robberies.
Haley was initially sentenced to death in 1988 for the murder of another victim, Dolores Clement,
but his conviction was later overturned due to legal technicalities. A retrial was conducted, and in May 2014, Haley was convicted of first-degree murder for Stolzy’s killing, with special circumstance allegations that she was murdered during the commission of a rape or attempted rape, burglary, and robbery. However, two other special circumstance allegations—murder during the commission of sodomy and oral copulation—were dismissed after jurors deadlocked on those charges.
During his retrial, Haley acted as his own attorney and did not present any mitigating evidence or a closing argument during the penalty phase. The jury ultimately recommended the death penalty, which was upheld by Judge Kathleen Kennedy, who described the crimes as "horrendous" and noted that Haley terrorized women who were "essentially helpless". DNA evidence conclusively confirmed Haley as Stolzy’s attacker.
Beth Stolzy, Laverne’s daughter, expressed her anguish in court, stating that she had waited 30 years for justice and suffered from deep depression and post-traumatic stress disorder due to her mother’s murder. She urged the court to ensure that Haley never had the chance to be released or escape.
Haley was suspected of killing as many as 13 women, many of them elderly, and was linked to hundreds of burglaries and assaults. His older brother, Reginald Haley, was also convicted of a series of violent crimes and sentenced to life in prison. Despite Haley’s claims that he never sexually assaulted his victims, the court found overwhelming evidence against him. He was ultimately sent to San Quentin State Prison, where he awaited execution on death row.
