LOS ANGELES -- Porn star John Holmes was formally charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the slayings of four people who were brutally beaten to death last summer in a Hollywood Hills home and was assigned a court-appointed attorney.
The defendant, described as 'afraid and concerned' by his laywer, had an unkempt beard and was dressed in dirty blue jeans, a red-and-white T-shirt and a denim jacket for the short court appearance.
He stood quietly and several times answered 'yes, your honor' to routine questions by Superior Court Judge Samuel Mayerson.
The arraignment was continued until Dec. 22, when Holmes, who is being held without bail on charges that could bring the death penalty, is expected to enter a plea.
Howard Gillingham, a private attorney named to defend the star of dozens of pornographic movies, asked for the extra time so he could become familiar with the case.
'It's a serious case,' he told reporters. 'He's afraid and he's concerned and he has very reason to be. After all, look at this.'
Gillingham then pointed to crowd of reporters and cameramen in the courthouse hallway and said he was especially concerned about 'the circus atmosphere' surrounding the case since Holmes' arrest.
Another attorney and friend of the defendant, Joseph Rhine, told reporters that Holmes told him Tuesday that he was not guilty of the murders. He said the actor's friends believe he is innocent and will start a trust fund to pay for the defense.
Holmes is also charged with attempted murder for the near fatal beating of a fifth victim who survived the predawn attacks July 1 in the two-story house in trendy Laurel Canyon.
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Howard Gillingham, a private attorney named to defend the star of dozens of pornographic movies, asked for the extra time so he could become familiar with the case. The court appoints attorneys for defendants who cannot afford their own.
An attorney who is a friend of Holmes, Joseph Rhine, told reporters the actor told told him Tuesday he was not guilty of the murders. He said the actor's friends believe he is innocent and will start a trust fund to pay for the defense.
Holmes is also charged with attempted murder for the near fatal beating of a fifth victim who survived the predawn attacks July 1, in the two-story house in trendy Laurel Canyon.
District attorney's spokesman Al Albergate said prosecutors may seek the death penalty in the case and two 'special circumstances' - required for capital punishment in California -- have been cited: mass murder and murder during a burglary.
The 37-year-old actor, known in his movies as 'Johnny Wadd,' was arrested in Florida last Friday and was brought to Southern California the following day.
Police Chief Daryl Gates has said detectives have evidence Holmes was at the Wonderland Avenue house when two men and two women were killed and a third woman critically injured.
Late Tuesday, police disclosed Gregory Diles, bodyguard for nightclub owner Adel 'Eddie Nash' Nasrallah, had also been been booked on a murder complaint in connection with the quadruple slaying.
Officials had speculated earlier that Holmes, who was known to associate with Nash and Diles, may become the state's star witness in the case.
Deputy District Attorney Ronald Coen was noncommital about any offers of immunity to Holmes, saying 'as of right now (Holmes) is a defendant.'
The Daily News of Los Angelesalso quoted a source close to the case as saying 'it would certainly be nice if he (Holmes) turned out to be the state's star witness.'
During a news conference Monday, Gates refused to say whether detectives thought Holmes actually committed the slayings or participated in some other way.
'We believe the investigation is still open with regard to other suspects,' he said.
Detectives believe the killings -- near the home of Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. -- may be drug related and connected to the robbery of Nasrallah, 52, and Diles, 33, two days earlier at Nasrallah's Studio City home, where Holmes was a frequent guest.
Homicide detectives raided Nasrallah's home Nov. 25 for the second time since the Laurel Canyon killings and found more than two pounds of cocaine. Both were arrested on narcotics charges.
Both men had been on bail on earlier drug charges stemming from a July 10 raid at the home that sparked a brief gun battle between Diles and police. No one was injured in the incident.
