Man delays plea in mother's killing

A man charged with torturing and fatally stabbing his mother in September delayed entering a plea Wednesday to the potential death-penalty charges.

Christopher Anthony Lavis, 41, is facing a murder charge and a murder with the infliction of torture allegation, which is a special-circumstance charge that could trigger a death sentence if he is convicted. Prosecutors haven't said whether they will pursue the death penalty.

Lavis' attorney, Scott Murray, said in court Wednesday he needed more time to prepare a defense to the serious charges.

Murray also objected to The Press Democrat photographing the proceedings, saying the additional publicity could taint a potential jury. Judge Lawrence Antolini allowed a photographer to take photos during the brief hearing.

Lavis is accused of killing his mother, Connie LaSalle, 63, last month in her Stony Point Road condominium. Prosecutors say he fatally stabbed her with kitchen shears and what was described as a "Roman knife." He was arrested this month in San Francisco when he allegedly tried to walk out of a Fisherman's Wharf restaurant without paying.

LaSalle's body was found wrapped in blankets Sept. 27, two weeks after friends and neighbors began to worry because they couldn't reach her. Police said she'd been stabbed multiple times.

Lavis, an unemployed computer technician, is being held without bail in Sonoma County Jail.

-- L.A. Carter