Son Accused of Hammer Attack Will Be Charged as An Adult

The Orange County District Attorney on Friday painted the picture of a cold and cruel predator who tried to beat his father to death before eating breakfast and going to school.

John Edward "Jack" Kudla, 17, of Rancho Santa Margarita, will be tried as an adult instead of a juvenile for the attempted murder of Jon Kudla while he slept in his bed Wednesday morning.

The D.A. filed directly with Orange County Superior Court on Friday charging Kudla as an adult for three felony counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, unlawful taking of a vehicle, and a sentencing enhancement for causing brain injury and paralysis. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison.

Had he been tried as a juvenile, the juvenile court would have lost jurisdiction of him when he turned 25.

He is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled for arraignment on June 14 at Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach. Deputy District Attorney Robert Goodkin will prosecute the case.

Although not specifically spelled out by the D.A.'s office, a source familiar with criminal court proceedings said the three felony counts of attempted murder likely indicate the victim was struck three times while being bludgeoned by his attacker.

The elder Kudla, 50, is a reserve sergeant for the Orange County Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue. He remains at Mission Hospital in a medically-induced coma.

Because investigators have not been able to speak with the injured man, they have not been able to confirm a motive for the attack.

Jon Kudla lived at the Robinson Ranch residence on Shadow Rock Lane with his three sons and his mother, who found him unconscious in an upstairs bedroom with a severe head injury. Jack Kudla is the oldest of the three sons.

According to the D.A., young Kudla awoke on Wednesday and grabbed a large construction hammer from the downstairs kitchen, which was being remodeled; he then walked upstairs to his father's bedroom and hit him over the head multiple times while the man slept.

The D.A. alleges Kudla then got dressed and ate breakfast, and told another family member that his father was sick and would probably stay in bed all day. He is accused of stealing his father's wallet and keys and driving Jon Kudla's black Volkswagen convertible to Trabuco Hills High, where he is a junior.

The D.A. said Kudla met friends at school and drove them to a nearby McDonald's and dropped them off; he did not go back to school.

Jon Kudla's mother found her unconscious and bleeding son and called 9-1-1 at 9:34 a.m. He was taken to Mission Hospital, where he is in critical condition after receiving emergency life-saving surgery.

Trabuco Hills High was locked down for awhile when it was thought Kudla might be on campus and carrying his father's service revolver.

After a general broadcast to regional law enforcement agencies, Kudla was spotted by a California Highway Patrolman shortly after 1 p.m., on northbound Interstate 5 near the I-605 connector. He was pulled over near Gage Ave., in the East Los Angeles town of City Terrace and taken into custody.

Investigators waited for a search warrant to arrive Wednesday evening, and they were quickly rewarded. They found the hammer used in the attack rinsed off and left in a bathroom sink between the bedroom of the father and son.