Friday, March 6, 2026

Pretrial Hearing Set Friday in 2021 Altadena Double Stabbing Partially Witnessed on Zoom

Robert Cotton faces two murder counts in the deaths of his mother, a Pasadena City College educator, and his uncle

A pretrial hearing is scheduled Friday for the man charged with fatally stabbing his mother and uncle at their Altadena home nearly five years ago, in a case that drew national attention when part of the attack was witnessed by a colleague during a Zoom call.

Robert Anderson Cotton is set to appear at 8:30 a.m. in Dept. B of the Pasadena Courthouse, 300 E. Walnut St. He faces two counts of murder with an allegation of using a knife as a deadly and dangerous weapon in the deaths of Dr. Carol Anne Brown, 67, and Kenneth Wayne Preston, 69, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The case number is GA109673.

The stabbings occurred March 22, 2021, at the victims’ shared residence in the 3100 block of North Marengo Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Brown was Cotton’s mother. Preston was her brother and Cotton’s uncle. Cotton lived with both victims at the home.

Brown, a Pasadena City College employee for nearly 15 years, was on a Zoom call with a colleague when part of the attack unfolded, according to the Sheriff’s Department. The colleague saw a man dragging another man into the living room and called 911 to report a possible kidnapping, according to investigators.

Deputies from the Sheriff’s Department’s Altadena Station responded around 2:45 p.m. and found Preston dead in the driveway with multiple stab wounds, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Brown was found dead inside the home. Detectives recovered a large hunting-style knife at the scene, which they believed was the weapon used, according to a report citing sheriff’s officials.

Investigators determined that a Lexus SUV belonging to one of the victims was missing from the residence, according to the Sheriff’s Department. While deputies were still processing the crime scene, Cotton returned on foot and identified himself as a resident. He was detained and booked on two murder counts, according to sheriff’s officials.

Then-District Attorney George Gascón described the case in a March 2021 statement as “horrific,” according to the DA’s office press release.

Brown served as co-coordinator of PCC’s Black STEM Program and had also worked in Financial Aid, Former Foster Youth Services, Dreamkeepers Emergency Aid, Student Life and other departments, according to a Pasadena City College memorial page. Then-PCC President Erika Endrijonas called her death “a terrible loss” for the college community, according to a PCC statement.

Cotton was 32 at the time of the stabbings. He has remained in custody since his arrest, with bail set at $4.02 million, according to booking records cited in news reports. The case has moved through multiple hearing settings since 2021, with previous appearances held in Dept. H of the Pasadena Courthouse. Friday’s hearing is now scheduled in Dept. B.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive in the case, according to multiple news reports.

Cotton is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.