Woodland Hills Man Ordered to Stand Trial on Machete-Attack Charges

By City News Service

A Woodland Hills man was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on 16 criminal charges for allegedly using a machete and knife to attack his estranged wife and a music industry veteran-turned-radio show host.

Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Karen Nudell ordered Behnam Vasseghi, 57, to return to court Nov. 19 for arraignment.

Vasseghi is charged with one count each of attempted murder, first-degree burglary with a person present, violating a restraining order and stalking, two counts each of aggravated mayhem, torture, making criminal threats and false imprisonment, and four counts of assault with a deadly weapon involving the machete and a knife.

The charges stem from a Sept. 15 attack on Jerry Sharell and Vasseghi's estranged wife at Sharell's Woodland Hills home.

Sharell formerly worked with such acts as the Eagles and the Carpenters and hosts a weekly radio show on KJazz titled "Sundays with Sinatra."

He was hired by David Geffen in the 1970s to manage the Asylum Records label, which later became part of Elektra Records, where he worked with Jackson Browne, Harry Chapin, Carly Simon, The Cars, Queen, Motley Crue and Bread, among other acts.

Sharell later became a vice president at Westwood One radio network, and also chaired The Recording Academy's MusiCares Foundation. He also served as president/CEO of the nonprofit Society of Singers, helping to produce the annual Ella Awards gala that paid tribute to legendary artists.