Prosecutors File Murder Charges Against Mother in Santa Monica Child Death Case
L.A. County Authorities Allege the Child Was Fatally Injured
Inside a Broadway Apartment
Prosecutors have charged a Santa Monica mother with murder and felony child assault resulting in death following the killing of her young daughter earlier this week.
Carmen Anita Degregg, 24, is charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court with one count of murder and one count of felony assault on a child under the age of 8, causing death, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Bail has been set at $2 million. Her arraignment was continued to January 9 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
“The allegations in this case describe
extreme violence against a child who was entirely vulnerable and unable to protect herself,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “When a parent is accused of causing a child’s death, our office has a duty to act decisively and to seek the maximum accountability permitted by law.”
The charges stem from an incident reported around midday on January 6, when Santa Monica police responded to an apartment in the 2000 block of Broadway after being notified by UCLA Police. Authorities said an adult woman had been detained on the UCLA campus after making statements indicating she had harmed her child and left the toddler inside the apartment.
Santa Monica officers located the child inside the residence with significant injuries. Santa Monica Fire Department personnel transported the toddler to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Degregg was taken into custody and booked at the Santa Monica Jail later that day. The child was between 15 and 17 months old, according to law enforcement and court records.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death.
If convicted as charged, Degregg faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney MacKenzie Teymouri of the Family Violence Division’s Complex Child Abuse Section.
Detectives with the Santa Monica Police Department’s Criminal Investigations
Division are continuing to investigate the case. Police said preliminary information indicates the incident appears to be isolated and that there is no ongoing threat to the community.
Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact Santa Monica Police Detective Isaac Reyes at isaac.reyes@santamonica.gov or the department’s Watch Commander at 310458-8427, available 24 hours a day.
Santa Monica Residents Allege Council Conflicts in Affordable Housing Vote
Neighborhood Groups Call for Voiding Tainted Votes Ahead of Council Meeting
A coalition of neighborhood groups has filed a formal complaint alleging three Santa Monica City Council members violated conflict-of-interest laws in approving a major affordable housing project last month, demanding an investigation and voiding of the vote ahead of a scheduled ratification of other housing actions.
The Jan. 8 complaint, submitted to the city attorney by Santa Monica Neighbors, targets Councilmember Jesse Zwick, Mayor Caroline Torosis and Councilmember Natalya Zernitskaya for their yes votes on Dec. 17, approving development agreements with Hollywood Community Housing Corporation. The deal commits city-owned land for 99 years
and $13.5 million in public funds.
Residents claim Zwick engaged in undisclosed ex parte communications with HCHC's executive director during council proceedings, citing public records showing emails exchanged from the dais and private coordination on project alternatives.
Zernitskaya is accused of violating the Levine Act by voting on the agreement after receiving $400 in campaign contributions from the CEO of The People Concern, identified as HCHC's supportive services provider.
Torosis allegedly failed to disclose a professional tie, as she serves as senior policy director for Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, whose office is listed as an HCHC government partner.
The complaint argues the violations invalidate the approval under state law, calling for a restart with recused members rather than a revote.
Separately, several neighborhood associations, including Friends of Sunset Park and Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition, urged the council in a Jan. 11 letter to reject ratifying five prior housing-
The groups want all affected votes
voided and restarted only if moved by non-conflicted members, citing public trust and compliance with the city charter's affordability requirements. The council is set to consider the ratifications at its Jan. 13 meeting.
related votes tainted by Zwick's conflict, stemming from a December Fair Political Practices Commission ruling disqualifying him due to his employment with the Housing Action Coalition.
Former CEO of Santa Monica–Based Nonprofit
The Painted Turtle Charged With $5.2 Million Embezzlement
Ex-CEO Christopher Butler Faces 15 Felony Counts
Tied to Alleged Embezzlement
Prosecutors have accused the former head of a nonprofit camp of siphoning millions of dollars from the organization that serves children with chronic and lifethreatening illnesses. The camp is located in Lake Hughes, but the non-profit’s office is located in Santa Monica.
Christopher L. Butler, the former chief executive officer of The Painted Turtle, is charged with embezzling about $5.2 million during his tenure from 2018 through 2025, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Butler, 49, of Porter Ranch, faces 15 felony counts: nine counts of grand theft, five counts of forgery, and one count of fraudulent use of a computer.
The criminal complaint, filed December 29, 2025, alleges Butler used his position to misappropriate nonprofit funds over several years. He is being held on $835,000 bail. Butler is scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 15 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles. If convicted on all counts, prosecutors said Butler could be sentenced to more than 18 years in state prison.
The case is being handled by Deputy District Attorney Steve Dickman of the District Attorney’s White Collar Crime Division and remains under investigation by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.
The Painted Turtle operates a specialty camp that provides free programming for children with serious medical conditions and their families. It was co-founded by Paul Newman and Page and Lou Adler, among others, in 1999.
Santa Monica Appoints Aileen Reynolds as Housing and Human Services Director
Reynolds Brings
Extensive
Affordable Housing Experience and Will Begin the Role
Jan. 12
Santa Monica has named Aileen Reynolds as its next director of the Housing and Human Services Department, city officials announced, selecting a longtime housing policy administrator with experience overseeing large-scale affordable housing programs.
Reynolds will assume the role effective Jan. 12, replacing Heather Averick, who is stepping down from the position but will continue working with the city in a part-time capacity on special projects in the City Manager’s Office.
Reynolds most recently served as assistant commissioner of housing opportunity at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. In that role, she led a staff of more than 75 employees focused on placing individuals and families into permanent housing. City officials said her team helped secure housing for more than 43,000 households, marking record outcomes for the department.
Her career in housing began in New York, where she worked as a project coordinator on a large affordable housing development in the Bronx. Reynolds has since held positions spanning property management, housing marketing, and the development of equitable housing access policies. Her professional background includes work with the New York City Housing Development Corporation, Richman Property Services and the Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation.
As Santa Monica’s housing and human services director, Reynolds will
oversee the Santa Monica Housing Authority and guide the city’s efforts to expand affordable housing options. Her duties will also include managing the Human Services Grants Program and continuing the implementation of Santa Monica’s Homelessness Strategic Plan.
Reynolds will also play a key role in advancing the city’s Realignment Plan. That work will involve coordinating across departments on initiatives such as a vacant property registry and a rent registry, supporting Housing Element goals with an emphasis on the downtown area, and overseeing the transition from the SAMOSHEL homeless shelter to a housing-first system of care.
Reynolds holds a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University. Her annual salary will be $258,756, according to the city.
What goes in the green bin?
¿Qué va en el bote verde?
Wooden cutler y along with food scraps are allowed in your green bin.
Los cubier tos de madera, ju nto con los restos de comida, está n permi tidos en el contenedor verde.
Escanea Aquí
Palisades Charter High School Announces Return to Campus
By the end of the month, students and staff are expected to return to the Palisades campus
Palisades Charter High School will return to its home campus later this month, marking a major milestone one year after a historic wildfire severely damaged the school and disrupted the community, according to a statement released by Executive Director and Principal Dr. Pam Magee.
In a message addressed to students, families and staff, Magee reflected on the impact of the wildfire, which tore through the Palisades and caused extensive damage to school facilities. She described the loss as extending beyond buildings and belongings, affecting the community’s sense of security, while emphasizing the resilience shown in the aftermath.
Following the fire, Palisades Charter High School established a temporary campus, known as Pali South, in the
former Sears building in Santa Monica. Magee said students and staff adapted quickly to the new setting, continuing instruction and school activities despite the challenges of a dramatically different learning environment.
Magee highlighted student achievements over the past year,
noting that athletes continued to compete and win championships, performers and artists brought music and creativity to temporary spaces, and students maintained strong academic performance amid uncertainty.
The school will begin the new semester at Pali South on Tuesday,
Jan. 13, Magee said. By the end of the month, students and staff are expected to return to the Palisades campus.
“The milestone is more than a move — it is a testament to our shared commitment and the belief that, together, we can overcome anything,” Magee wrote.
CuriousCity1/16/26: GET REAL ON TUES
By CHARLES ANDREWS
A REVEALING, IMPORTANT COUNCIL MEETING LAST TUESDAY
A City Council member, JESSE ZWICK, who took a six-figure salary position as an advocate for a housing developer, which he revealed last October just before voting DOWN, along with fellow Council members
NATALYA ZERNITSKAYA, CAROLINE TOROSIS, DAN HALL
a development plan to restore our historic Civic Auditorium, with THE most insanely qualified group (RPG) of companies and individuals with decades of the highest level of experience and success in the very specialized and competitive concert and music business, with a contract guaranteeing not a penny of investment or risk to the city and the residents, and the four sank that possible deal, why? – to open things up for other possibilities, they said, and because “the numbers don’t add up.”
In case there is any lingering confusion or uncertainty over that ridiculous statement, let me point out: 1) pros this savvy are not going to take on a losing project no matter how much they personally might want it to succeed, that’s not how you beome and stay successful; 2) if RPG decided to abandon the project at any point for any reason, the City of Santa Monica would still own the Civic and any improvements that had been made; 3) if RPG is assuming all costs, how could the numbers not add up? – that’s on RPG if they don’t, not us; 4) what told them "the numbers don’t add up”? – figures they asked the city staff for, about two weeks before, a staff with NO experience in this complex arena and have shown over and over to be comically inadequate with numbers; and 5) what other “opportunities” might there be for that arena, but more specifically, the city land it is sitting on, that most estimates say is worth $20M with the Civic, and $100M with it gone, bulldozed, ready for real estate development, and lots of that “affordable housing” that they salivate over.
AM I BEATING
A dead horse? I have alluded to all this before, but I felt it needed a more thorough vetting. I said all along that the no-sense vote to turn down the best chance to bring the Civic back to life was only a singular example of a driving philosophy among most of our Council members, that dense development is the answer to all our problems, now and future. And that any inconvenience or opposition by residents is just whining by those who don’t grasp the wisdom of their
elected officials – some of whom have lived here less than seven years.
You don’t buy my explanation of the Civic vote? Did you forget they were ready to offer it up to the school district a few years ago TO USE AS A GYM? – despite widespread community opposition. Zwick denied he had any conflict of interest and refused to recuse on any votes or discussions on housing, even texting his employer during Council meetings, until the FPPC, Federal Political Practices Commission, ruled otherwise recently, duh. At this week’s council meeting, he read a brief statement saying he would, from now on, recuse himself.
What brought this to a head this week? Sacramento has been bombarding us for several years with bill after bill taking away cities’ zoning and building restrictions and forcing rules suited for developer profit. Hard to fight the state. But our City Council felt those onerous new laws didn’t go far enough and wanted to pass a local regulation that went even farther. Are you serious? No pretense at all anymore of who they are working for. Hint: it ain’t us.
There’s more that happened last Tuesday night that shows the ideologue politician crisis we are burdened with – until the next election – and I’m hoping SMart member HEATHER THOMASON recovers enough from riding out that meeting out until way past midnight, to be able to write a column about it. If not this Friday, probably next. If you care about this great little city and want to understand why things are so awful right now, and how
we can fix them, you should faithfully read the SMart column every Friday in The Mirror.
ANOTHER “ARE YOU SERIOUS”
The zombie cultists who still skip down Drumpf’s orange brick road. We know The Donald doesn’t read, but we also know he has plenty of dark characters, like Stephen Miller, whispering in his ear about things they have read. The Orange Man doesn’t need to have read history or even “Mein Kampf” to be so dutifully carrying out the authoritarian/ Nazi playbook. But let’s be real: the Nazi’s admitted to adopting a lot from American history and politics. Sad to say, but ask our indigenous people, and they will tell you America has been like this for 500 years. Not what I was taught in school… until I got to college.
Can you believe the President of the United States looked right into the cameras and told his followers that Renee Nicole Good ran over the ICE agent with her car, when we all saw he did not, and we saw that shooter walk casualy and without any apparent injury, down the street. SOMEbody has read Orwell’s “1984” – I’ll paraphrase: “Believe what we tell you, not your lying eyes and ears.” And we all thought that was science fiction when we read it. Zero possibility that it could really happen. I also refer you to Frank Zappa’s 1966 warning, “It Can’t Happen Here.”
Charles Andrews has lived in Santa Monica for 40 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or rebuke to him at therealmrmusic@gmail.com
Welcome to Urban Jungle
Immerse yourself in a sanctuary where nature’s tranquility meets the vibrancy of city life. Urban Jungle is more than a plant store it’s a communitycentered oasis bringing a lush slice of paradise to your urban lifestyle. Here, we passionately believe in the power of plants to transform spaces and elevate well-being.
FILM REVIEW NO OTHER CHOICE
BEHIND THE SCREEN
By Kathryn Whitney Boole
No Other Choice is an inspired piece of cinematic poetry. On the surface, you will think this is simply a story of a man who loses his job of some 25 years, as you are drawn into this heartbreaking and familiar tale. Soon, you find that it cuts through ingrained concepts to reveal the greater meaning of our everyday lives. It tears open the relationships we think we know with the people who surround us and gets inside them and inside us. It explores the bond we have, or don’t have, with the earth and its landscapes that color the backdrops of our lives. It’s a painting, a tapestry, an eyeopener of a story, a hilarious and truthful statement on human nature.
The story is based on the 1997 novel The Ax by American author Donald Westlake. The main character is named “Man-su” in this movie. Man-su has a middle management job at a large paper factory where he was once honored as “Pulp Man of the Year.” His job carries not only his income that supports his family – it’s also his identity. Without warning, he is laid off. Psychologically heavy wheels start turning in his head as he tries to come to grips with this sudden gaping hole in his life and excruciating threat to his pride.
The dialogue is in Korean, but it’s easy to follow as communication in this film is based more on looks and actions, and everything that is said is concise and bears meaningful
weight. The sets mirror real life in detail, as the houses and surroundings don’t seem staged. They’re a little messy - and it rains a lot.
You think you’re watching a nice, uncomplicated movie about a middle-class Korean family with whom you can easily relate. And then, ever so gradually, the style of the film starts to change. You will be gently jolted out of your reverie and, in the process, perhaps watch your own world wrenched open and laid bare. It’s as if the characters are turned inside out, and you see them do what they actually want to do, like the little thought balloons that come out of characters' heads in the comics. Even the family’s dogs have a place in this allegory. The two loving, joyful Golden Retrievers are a symbol of the family’s warm emotional ties, and at a crucial point in the movie, they are sent away, gone from the picture. The family needs them back more than they realize. (Kudos to the great job done by the dog wrangler here!)
Director Park Chan-Wook was born in Seoul, Korea. His mother is a poet and his father an architect. As a child, he watched foreign films on his family’s black-and-white TV. He didn’t understand the words, so he grasped the story through sound and images.
NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF WAYNE DRAKE MARQUIS
To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: WAYNE DRAKE MARQUIS
A Petition for Probate has been filed by Johns-Ryan Marquis in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. 25STPB14159
The Petition for Probate requests that Johns-Ryan Marquis be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.
The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.
The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.
A hearing on the petition will be held in Los Angeles County Superior Court as follows: Date: January 20, 2026 Time: 8:30 am. Dept.: D99 The address of the court: 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.
If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the deceased, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.
Other California statues and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.
You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.
Petitioner (Attorney for Petitioner) Adam Grant, Esq. 16133 Ventura Blvd. Ste 700 Encino CA. 91436
Published in the Santa Monica Mirror, 12/26/2025, 01/02/2026, and 01/09//2026.
Park studied philosophy in college and originally wanted to become a painter, which is evident in the extraordinary visual impact of every scene in his films, but he began his career as a film critic. Park’s early films in the 1990’s were not well-received, but he never gave up and kept directing films and television shows.
Three of his films in the early 2000’s focus on vengeance. In 2022, he won the Best Director award at Cannes for Decision to Leave, and in 2024, he directed the critically acclaimed mini-series, The Sympathizer, for Netflix, starring Robert Downey Jr. One of our clients, Tien Pham, was cast on that show and shot in LA and Vietnam over many months. Pham reported that Park was an imaginative and kind director. Framing, lighting, and camera work are all very important to Park, and no small part of the screen is left as an afterthought. He likes scripts that don’t try to explain everything. Most of his team of filmmakers have worked with him multiple times, and one of his biggest fans is Quentin Tarantino, who has seen all his films.
This is an uplifting story, an ironic comedy, and on a deeper, darker level, a gruesome horror story of nefarious psychotic behavior. The cast, all highly skilled, well-known Korean actors, are perfectly in tune with the comic/dramatic shift as the allegorical alternate reality takes over. The two stars, Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin, are celebrated Korean stars, Lee having worked with Park before.
As in an epic poem, Park is illustrating our feelings with dramatic images, which
in themselves are comedic and horrific at the same time. Nature and our tendency to underestimate and belittle it plays a pivotal role in the movie, as does an examination of our relationships with each other as humans. You will probably find personal meaning in No Other Choice, and you will no doubt discover more insight if you see it more than once. Above all, look at it with your sense of humor intact. Park Chan-Wook is one of the great filmmakers of our time who truly understands how to use cinema to create art. No Other Choice has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and should be nominated for at least one Oscar. The movie has my vote as one of the best I’ve seen. Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com
NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF JOHN MICHAEL MURPHY
To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: JOHN MICHAEL MURPHY
A Petition for Probate has been filed by CHRISTOPHER MURPHY in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. 25STPB13513 The Petition for Probate requests that CHRISTOPHER MURPHY be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.
The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.
The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.
A hearing on the petition will be held in Los Angeles County Superior Court as follows:
Date: March 13, 2026, Time: 8:30 am. Dept.: 62 The address of the court: 111 North Hill St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.
If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the deceased, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.
Other California statues and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.
You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.
Petitioner Attorney for Petition: Janet L. Brewer, 4 Main St. Ste. 20, Los Altos, CA 94022
Published in the Santa Monica Mirror, 1/16/26, 1/23/2026, and 1/30/2026.
