New details emerge in shooting of NBCUniversal executive

A Chatsworth man who is accused of fatally shooting an NBCUniversal executive pleaded not guilty to a single count of murder Tuesday as new details emerged about the case.

David Andrew Armstrong was arrested days after Los Angeles police said that Brian Russell Kaplon visited his home in the 20000 block of Vercelli Way and was shot in the chest with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle while the two men were in the garage of the residence.

An LAPD source told The Times that Armstrong was showing Kaplon the rifle when a round from the weapon discharged into Kaplon's chest. Armstrong, who worked for his father-in-law's foam packaging company, was arrested after allegedly making conflicting statements, and based on additional evidence that investigators declined to detail.

An attorney for Armstrong said a second shot had been fired, which lodged in the attic, and that the LAPD and district attorney's office were informed about the discovery of that evidence.

Kaplon, who worked in the finance department at NBCUniversal, was described by friends and co-workers as affable and creative. He was married and had one child, with twins due in May.

Armstrong faces up to 50 years to life in prison if he is convicted of the murder as well as the sentence enhancement for using a gun. He remains free on $1-million bail and is due to return to court May 25.

Jim Blatt, the attorney for Armstrong, said the evidence will show the shooting was a tragic accident involving two friends who had been drinking at Armstrong's home.

On Tuesday, Blatt said that over the last two weeks the defense had turned over additional information to prosecutors and detectives that included phone records and text messages between Armstrong and Kaplon.

In addition, the defense also turned over cellphone records from Amstrong's wife and mother-in-law. The women and Armstrong were also reinterviewed by the LAPD.

"What appears to have happened is that Amstrong and Kaplon had been drinking that evening," Blatt said. "At the time of the incident, my client had a blood-alcohol level of 0.15, which is approximately double the legal limit for driving."

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--Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Brian Russell Kaplon. Credit: KTLA

Comments

[Will]

Here we go again with over zelous cops an prosecuters over charging people trying to make a name for them selves these were just two drunk clowns playing with a very poweful weapon all this is is a simple mistermenor manslauter case nothing more well you can also charge him for being an idiot

[Alan]

So what if he was drinking? That's not an excuse. You don't get out of vehicular manslaughter if you were drinking. You get more jail time. He probably wasn't drinking when he left more than 1 (!!!) bullet in that gun. Lodged in the attic of his own home with his own wife and child there? My god, let's get this menace off the streets for life!

[pablo]

yes exactly. there are career criminals on the streets who have inflicted pain on despair on society for years who kill someone on purpose who don't get a million dollar bail and whose gun enhancements are almost always served concurrently.

[Will the clown]

Will,

You are a sober clown who knows nothing about the facts of this case. No one cares what you think.

[Will]

Except you go lock up some more inocent people I wonder how you prosecutors sleep at night doing what you do.

[charles in charge]

The defendant is from a rich family, he probably won't do jail time. His life is totally ruined though, he's paying for what he did, one way or another.

To me, this is the same as killing someone if you're drunk driving. A drunk person behaved very irresponsibly with a dangerous piece of machinery, and someone died. Because it was a gun, all the LA liberals get their panties in a bunch. What's interesting is how rarely this happens with 300 million guns in private hands in the US.

Maybe if these guys were more familiar with guns, had training, or instruction from friends or family members, this could have been prevented. I believe anti-gun culture is to blame. For the shooter, guns were something you played with when you got drunk. Any true gun enthusiast with any knowledge knows you do not handle guns when you have been drinking.

I'm assuming he's charged with 2nd degree murder, as I don't think anyone is saying it's premeditated. It's a prosecution tactic to get to a plea bargain. Am I the only one that watches Law & Order?

[Deport All Foreigners]

" and based on additional evidence that investigators declined to detail. "

In other words, this article is a pointless rehash containing exactly NONE of the "new details" mentioned in the opening paragraph.