Charges Filed in Dismemberment Death of Man

LANCASTER —  Prosecutors on Thursday filed a charge of murder with special circumstances against two men in the dismemberment death of a man believed to be from the Antelope Valley.

The charges were filed against Scott Taylor, 20, of Bouquet Canyon, and Edwin Contreras, 24, of the San Fernando Valley, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Both are in custody awaiting arraignment, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.

The special circumstance charges allege lying in wait, murder during the commission of a robbery and killing a witness to a crime.

Authorities are still trying to positively identify a head and feet found Aug. 11 in the Lake Hughes area of the Antelope Valley. A search is under way for the remainder of the body, which authorities believe is that of Frederic Walker, 20, of the Antelope Valley.

Walker, who has not been seen for a month, was named as the victim in the complaint, but Deputy Dist. Atty. Ronald Smalstig said positive identification still must be made through dental records.

Investigators believe Walker was stabbed and dismembered Aug. 9 after being invited to a barbecue at the Bouquet Canyon home of Taylor’s parents, Smalstig said. Walker had inherited some insurance money after the death of his parents, authorities said.