Man Insane at Time of Pasadena Stabbings of Cousin, Cousin’s Wife

A man who murdered his cousin and his cousin’s wife in the Pasadena apartment the three shared was found today to have been insane at the time of the killings.

Jacob Mallory Bersson, now 34, is due back in a Pasadena courtroom Feb. 5 for a placement hearing, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

He pleaded no contest Dec. 5 to two counts of murder for the Oct. 13, 2014, killings of Lawrence Bressler, 50, and Denise Bressler, 64.

Bersson also admitted the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, along with an allegation that he personally used a knife.

Lawrence Bressler was able to call 911 shortly before 6:30 a.m. that day and identify his cousin as his attacker, according to police.

His wife died shortly after arriving at a hospital.

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

Police found Bersson bloodied about a block from the apartment at 290 N. Madison Ave. and arrested him. No motive was disclosed.

Bersson could have faced life in prison without the possibility of parole if the judge had found that he was sane at the time of the crimes.