Stepfather of Girl Convicted in Killing of Her Boyfriend

A Woodland Hills man, who said he shot to death his stepdaughter’s boyfriend because he mistook the teen-ager for a burglar, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter Tuesday, the least serious of three possible verdicts against him.

A Van Nuys Superior Court jury deliberated 2 1/2 days before returning the verdict against Peter Atanasov in the death of Dane Kimball, 18, of Woodland Hills.

“We came very close” to acquitting Atanasov on all charges, said jury foreman Patricia Marx. She said jurors very quickly ruled out verdicts of second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter, debating only between a finding of involuntary manslaughter or acquittal.

“Several of us said we would have done exactly what he did,” one juror told Atanasov’s attorney, Mitchell W. Egers.

Atanasov declined comment after the verdict. But Egers, saying his client should have been totally exonerated, said he would appeal.

Superior Court Judge Darlene E. Schempp, sitting in for vacationing trial Judge Alan B. Haber, set sentencing for Sept. 23. Involuntary manslaughter with a firearm carries a maximum prison term of six years.

The shooting occurred June 24, 1986, after Atanasov and his wife, Bonita, arrived home about dusk and saw someone with a flashlight in their Canoga Avenue home.

Fired 4 Shots in Pursuit of Intruder

Atanasov, 37, a framing contractor, grabbed a .38-caliber revolver from his truck parked nearby. The intruder fled and Atanasov gave chase, firing four shots as he pursued the intruder through his yard and across the street.

The next morning a jogger found the body of Kimball, who had been shot in the head, in bushes across the street from Atanasov’s home.

Testimony indicated that there had been hard feelings between Atanasov and Kimball, boyfriend of Vanessa Jeffery, Atanasov’s 16-year-old stepdaughter, and that Kimball had been unwelcome in Atanasov’s home after Atanasov caught him trying to take some keys and after Kimball spent the night with Atanasov’s stepdaughter.

Prosecution witnesses testified that Atanasov had threatened to kill Kimball if Kimball did not stay away from his stepdaughter. Atanasov denied making the threats.

There also was testimony that Kimball had earlier taken one of Atanasov’s jackets, Bonita Atanasov’s wedding ring and a woman’s bra from the house. When Kimball’s body was found, he was wearing Atanasov’s jacket. In his pocket were a ring and bra similar to the ones missing from the Atanasov home.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Larry Diamond contended that Atanasov knew he was shooting at Kimball because of Kimball’s distinctive bright red hair. Diamond argued that Atanasov should be found guilty of second-degree murder because he ignored pleas from his wife and neighbors to let police handle the matter, and because he paused before crossing the street to chase Kimball, showing the forethought required for a finding of murder.

Atanasov testified that he did not know whom he was shooting at. Jurors said they believed him. They also said they did not believe that Atanasov had threatened Kimball before the shooting.

Diamond said he expected it would be difficult to get a second-degree murder conviction.

Egers said he would appeal on the ground that the killing was justified.

“There is more than one tragedy here,” Egers said. “Here is a man who has never done anything wrong. He gets involved in a situation not of his doing. He did what he felt was right.”