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Former Saugus High Student To Stand Trial For Mother’s Murder

A little less than a year after a former Hart district special education assistant was found shot to death in her own home, Laura Purviance was ordered to stand trial for her mother’s murder.


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Laura L. Purviance, 25, who briefly attended Saugus High, has been in custody since Feb. 22, 2013, when she was arrested after her mother, Caroline Purviance, was murdered.

Related article: Woman Accused In Mother’s Woodland Hills Murder Due Back Next Year

Purviance allegedly shot her mother, stole her car and then “just started driving,” according to a detective who investigated the case.

She was later found and arrested by Oregon State Police officers in Medford, Ore.

Purviance was held to answer to one count of murder with a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, following a preliminary hearing presided by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Kellogg, according to a statement from District Attorney’s Office Spokesman Ricardo Santiago.

Laura’s mother, Caroline Purviance worked for the William S. Hart Union High School District from March 1999 to January 2004.

She was hired at Valencia High School as an instructional assistant.

She also worked at Saugus and Canyon high schools in the same capacity during her time with the district.

Laura Purviance attended Saugus High for a little over a year before transferring out of the district.

Caroline Purviance’s body was discovered in the 5600 block of Mason Avenue, where the elder Purviance lived, on Feb. 13.

She will be arraigned on Feb. 18 in Department E of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Van Nuys Branch.

At her arraignment, Laura Purviance will be asked to make a formal plea to the allegations.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Ratinoff.

The felony complaint also alleges that Purviance personally and intentionally discharged a handgun, according to DA’s statement.

The special circumstance allegation makes this a potential death penalty case.

A special committee within the District Attorney’s Office reviews all potential death penalty cases and decides whether that will be sought.

The case was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Purviance is being held at the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood in lieu of $2 million bail.


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Former Saugus High Student To Stand Trial For Mother’s Murder

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.