Man Accused of Pasadena Double Murder Back in Court Wednesday

A 29-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing a Pasadena couple in 2014 will be back in court Wednesday.

Jacob Mallory Bersson is facing two counts of murder in the October 13, 2014 killings of Lawrence Bressler, 50, and Denise Bressler, 64. The charges include the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders along with an allegation that Bersson personally used a knife in the murders.

Bersson pleaded not guilty to the charge on December 15, 2014.

Lawrence Bressler was Bersson’s cousin. He taught at the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Pasadena for 11 years and was director of operations for Chefs Center of California, a commercial food-preparation and education center in Pasadena.

According to court records, Bersson had recently moved to California from Florida and was living with the couple at 290 N. Madison Avenue in Pasadena.

Police said Bersson allegedly forced his way into the Bresslers’ bedroom in the morning of October 13 and stabbed them repeatedly with a knife.

Police said Lawrence Bressler was able to call 911 before 6:30 a.m. and identified his cousin was the attacker. Bressler later died in surgery. His wife had died shortly after arriving at a hospital.

Bersson was arrested on the day of the murders and has not been released from the Los Angeles County Jail ever since.