Biofem Suspect Talked

A longtime aide to an Irvine scientist accused of hatching an elaborate scheme to kill his business partner told police her boss gave her illegal weapons to dispose of, according to Orange County Grand Jury transcripts made public Friday.

Valerie Kesler first told investigators she knew nothing about two assault weapons police found in her car and at her Newport Beach condo, a detective told grand jurors. Then, suddenly, she blurted out that her boss, Dr. Larry C. Ford of Biofem Inc., had given them to her, the transcripts state.

“She indicated that she didn’t know they were in there and that she never touched them,” Det. Vic Ray told the jury. “And in the same--this all in one sentence--she says that ‘Larry told me to get rid of them.’ ”

After a brief hearing, grand jurors indicted Kesler on suspicion of possessing and transporting illegal weapons.

Kesler, 37, has pleaded not guilty to the two indictments.

Authorities believe Ford masterminded last year’s attempted murder of Biofem’s chief executive officer, James Patrick Riley. Riley was wounded with a gunshot to the cheek while arriving for work Feb. 28, 2000. During the investigation, Ford committed suicide.

Days after the shooting, police searched Kesler’s property and found an Uzi pistol and a Fabrique Nationale rifle, though prosecutors said neither is believed linked to the attempted murder.