Suspects in slaying of USC students to be arraigned today

Two men charged in the killings of two USC graduate students are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

In a court appearance last month, attorneys for Javier Bolden, 19, and Bryan Barnes, 20, had asked the judge for more time to review the case. They were arrested in May and charged with first-degree murder in the killings of two electrical engineering students from China: Ming Qu and Ying Wu, both 23.

Police investigators said they believe Bolden and Barnes came across the pair talking in a parked BMW on April 11 and decided to rob them. At some point, police said, Barnes opened fire, killing them.

The shooting caused reverberations throughout USC, where students and faculty held a memorial for the victims. USC students from China launched a "Protect Our Safety" campaign, and Qu's and Wu's parents filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming officials gave out inaccurate information about safety around campus.

Bolden and Barnes also face one count each of attempted murder in a separate incident last year, according to the L.A. County district attorney's office, and Bolden is charged with an additional count of attempted murder and one count of assault stemming from a February incident.

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-- Rosanna Xia

Photo: USC President C. L. Max Nikias bows before images of victims Ying Wu and Ming Qu before eulogizing the slain engineering students during a memorial service in the Shrine Auditorium in April. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times