A former Bell city councilman pleaded not guilty Thursday to fatally shooting his 81-year-old wife at their home.
Danny Lee Harber, 76, was arraigned at the Downey courthouse on the murder charge, which includes an allegation that he used a handgun, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
His next court date is on Sept. 18 at the Norwalk courthouse, when a preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set.
Harber’s wife was shot in the upper body about 6:40 a.m. Tuesday in the 4900 block of Weik Avenue in Bell and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez.
Donna Harber had suffered from mental health issues, including dementia, former Bell Councilwoman Violeta Alvarez told NBC4.
The victim’s husband was arrested just after 7 a.m. Tuesday and has remained jailed since then in lieu of $2 million bail, jail records show.
He served on the Bell City Council from 2011 to 2013.
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