An engineer pleaded not guilty today to murdering a Torrance nurse he dated almost 30 years ago.
Douglas Gordon Bradford, 57, of Costa Mesa, is charged with the Aug. 29, 1979, stabbing and strangulation murder of Lynne Knight.
The 28-year-old woman was stabbed more than 15 times and strangled with a homemade garrote that was found near her body in her Anza Avenue apartment.
Bradford and the Canadian-born woman had dated before her slaying, according to Deputy District Attorney John Lewin. At the time, Bradford was an engineering student at Cal State Long Beach.
Bradford was arrested May 13, then freed on bail about 10 hours later.
The prosecutor credited old-fashioned police work by detectives from the Torrance Police Department's Cold Case Unit with helping to crack the case, which was filed May 12.
He is due back in Torrance Superior Court on July 31, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.
