Monday, February 2, 2026

Pretrial Hearing Set Monday for Man Charged in 2021 Altadena Double Stabbing, Partially Witnessed on Zoom

Robert Cotton faces two murder counts in deaths of mother and uncle; case nears five-year mark

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Monday in the case against Robert Cotton, the Altadena man charged with fatally stabbing his mother and uncle at their shared home nearly five years ago.

Cotton, 37, is scheduled to appear at 8:30 a.m. in Department B of the Pasadena Courthouse, 300 East Walnut Street. He faces two counts of murder with an allegation of using a knife as a deadly and dangerous weapon in the March 22, 2021, deaths of Carol Brown, 67, and Kenneth Preston, 69. Cotton has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The case gained attention after one of Brown’s colleagues partially witnessed the attack during a Zoom call with Pasadena City College staff and called 911. The colleague reported seeing a man dragging another man into the living room of the Altadena residence in the 3100 block of North Marengo Avenue. Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies responded around 2:45 p.m. and found Preston’s body in the driveway and Brown’s body inside the home. Both had suffered multiple stab wounds.

Cotton was arrested at the scene after returning in a vehicle belonging to one of the victims and identifying himself as a resident of the home, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Brown was Cotton’s mother and Preston was his uncle. The three shared the Altadena residence. Brown had worked at Pasadena City College for approximately 15 years and co-coordinated the college’s Black STEM Program, which provides opportunities for Black and African American students through coaching and internships.

“This is a horrific case in which the mother’s work colleagues witnessed part of the attack while on a Zoom call and called the authorities,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement when charges were filed in March 2021. “Unfortunately, by the time police arrived they discovered both victims.”

No motive for the killings has been publicly disclosed. Cotton remains in custody at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles on $4.02 million bail.

Monday’s hearing is the latest in a series of pretrial proceedings since charges were filed in case number GA109673 on March 24, 2021. The Pasadena Courthouse is located at 300 E. Walnut St. Court hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.