Boy Accused in Mother’s Slaying to Stand Trial

GLENDALE — On a wall in their Sinclair Avenue condominium, William and Tinann Turner Davidson hung a plaque of the Ten Commandments, including the mandate, “Honor thy father and mother.”

Those words gave pause to their 14-year-old son, Joseph William Davidson, who told authorities he had harbored thoughts of killing his mother since he was 8, court documents show.

So sometime after 4 p.m. Aug. 16, 1996, whatever forces had held back the Glendale teenager appeared to evaporate, as he stuffed in a pair of earplugs, grabbed a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver and headed downstairs, where dinner was coming to a boil in the kitchen, court documents show.

With one hand behind his back and the other clutching his shirt, police say, Davidson walked up to his mother and said, “Look at this.”

Then, standing at arm’s length next to the dining table, he shot her once in the forehead, killing her instantly, records show.

This week, jury selection gets underway in the trial of Davidson, who will be prosecuted as an adult and could face a maximum of 35 years to life in state prison if convicted of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors say the trial before Pasadena Superior Court Judge Victor Person is expected to take 2 1/2 weeks, with the crux of their case revolving around a taped confession Davidson made to Glendale police detectives.

“I think it’s going to be an emotional trial,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Renee Cartaya, who said she would fight any effort by the defense “to attack the victim.”

Davidson’s attorney, Mark De Wit, indicated he will put on a defense showing his client was mentally, physically and sexually abused by the woman who adopted him when he was a toddler, subjecting him to a strict upbringing, hitting him and yelling at him.

It was also alleged that Davidson had a confused relationship with his mother, and that until he was 10 she made him wash her in the bathtub.

Davidson also described conversations he had with such biblical figures as Moses and King David, according to previous witness testimony.

However, authorities challenge any assertion that Davidson was the victim, contending that, despite his age and the rarity of matricide, the case is about “a cold-blooded killing.”

During Davidson’s preliminary hearing, Glendale Police Officer Arthur Frank testified that at the time Davidson confessed to the shooting, he said he regretted that he had not done it sooner.

Davidson was described as an “uninhibited” subject during his 1 1/2-hour-long police interview, court documents show.

The defendant acknowledged hating his mother “with a vengeance,” Frank said, adding that Davidson “thought about killing her since he was 8, and wished he had done it at 9, because they couldn’t send you away [to prison] that long.”

Davidson recounted that discovering his father’s handgun under his parents’ mattress was like “finding a treasure,” Frank said. He contemplated using the weapon to commit suicide, but worried that, according to the Bible, he might go to hell if he killed himself.

Davidson also told investigators his mother was a very strict disciplinarian who frequently reminded her son of his shortcomings, notably his haphazard cleaning of the house, and that he “was a very bad boy,” Frank said.

Cartaya said the Davidsons seemed no different from any other middle-class family, and appeared to be even more cohesive because of their religious beliefs.

At the time of the slaying, she said, the family was preparing to move to Las Vegas, where the defendant’s father was set to retire from his job as a Hollywood set designer, while his mother had just gotten her real estate license.

One of Davidson’s former friends, Raymond Soria, 17, testified that he was in his apartment smoking marijuana with a friend when Davidson stopped by on the day of the slaying.

Davidson said he wanted to shoot another acquaintance, Soria said.

“He wanted me to call [the friend]” to arrange a meeting so that Davidson could shoot him, Soria said. “I told him to go shoot his mom. I was just joking. I didn’t think he’d take it seriously. He didn’t laugh, he just said, ‘Yeah.’ ”

After the conversation, Soria said, Davidson left. About 10 minutes later, he said, Davidson returned to Soria’s apartment with a gun in his waistband.

“I told Joey the gun had been fired,” Soria said. “He said, ‘I did it.’ I told him to leave, because I was scared.”

A short time later, Davidson was picked up by police at a phone booth outside Glendale High School, where he had called 911 to confess to the shooting. When authorities arrived, he was smiling, they said.