Fayed pleads not guilty in slaying

An employee also pleads not guilty to woman's stabbing death.

LOS ANGELES — A Moorpark businessman accused of orchestrating the murder of his estranged wife this summer pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning to murder and conspiracy in Los Angeles Superior Court.

James Fayed, 45, also denied the special allegations that the murder was committed for financial gain and lying in wait. The two special circumstances allow for the death penalty.

An employee of Fayed, Jose Luis Moya, 47, also entered a not-guilty plea on the same charges and denied the special allegations.

Both men will remain in jail without bail.

The conspiracy involves at least one unknown suspect, according to court documents. Prosecutors say Fayed paid Moya about $25,000 to arrange the murder of Pamela Fayed.

The Fayeds were going through a bitter divorce when the Camarillo woman was stabbed to death July 28 in a Century City parking garage, following a meeting between the estranged couple and their attorneys.

Fayed was arrested Aug. 1 on one federal charge of operating a money transmitting business without a license. The case in U.S. District Court against Fayed, who owned the online gold trading company Goldfinger Inc., was withdrawn by federal prosecutors when he was charged with murder.

Fayed is in high-security housing in the Men's Central Jail. Because of this he is only allowed to use the phone at 6:30 a.m. every other day, his attorney Mark Werksman told Commissioner Henry Hall during Wednesday's hearing.

Werksman said the limited phone calls were hindering Fayed's ability to talk to him, and he asked Hall to grant his client unlimited calls.

"I'm not going to give him unlimited calls," Hall said, adding he would grant an order requesting a specific number of calls.

Werksman also told the commissioner that he had received little discovery information in the case, with the exception of a single CD-ROM.

Moya's public defender, Elizabeth Warner-Sterkenburg, asked Hall to grant an order that she be notified two court days in advance of any visits to her client by investigators. Her request stems from a recent visit by investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department, who had a search warrant to obtain a DNA sample from Moya.

Warner-Sterkenburg said police engaged Moya in a conversation about the case, without her being present.

Hall granted an order for one day's notice.

Fayed and Moya will appear in court Nov. 6, at which time a preliminary hearing will be scheduled.

Source: http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/oct/09/fayed-pleads-not-guilty-in-slaying/