Altadena Man Accused in Double Homicide During Zoom Conference Call Back in Court Tuesday

A Pasadena court is scheduled Tuesday to set a preliminary hearing date for an Altadena man charged with fatally stabbing his mother and uncle during a Zoom call in 2021.

Robert Anderson Cotton, 32, faces two counts of murder with an allegation of using a knife as a deadly and dangerous weapon in the deaths of Carol Brown, 67, and Kenneth Preston, 69, at their shared Altadena home on March 22, 2021.

The hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. in Department H of the Pasadena Courthouse.

The attack occurred at the residence in the 3000 block of North Marengo Avenue. Brown’s work colleague witnessed part of the attack during a Zoom call and alerted authorities.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies found Preston unresponsive in the driveway and Brown dead inside the home. Both had died from stab wounds.

Cotton was seen on the Zoom call dragging Preston outside before returning to attack Brown, according to investigators.

He was later detained after returning to the scene in one of the victims’ vehicles and identifying himself as a resident of the home.

“This is a horrific case in which the mother’s work colleagues witnessed part of the attack while on a Zoom call,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.

Cotton is being held on $2 million bail. Authorities have not released a motive for the killings.