CRIME: They Were Good Kids

The family, one neighbor said, was "Norman Rockwell normal," and another praised the two lanky, blond sons who were always helpful: "When a neighbor's fence needed mending, they mended it. When someone's chain saw broke, they fixed it. If someone went on vacation, Jim and Rick looked after their property. When the yard needed work, the brothers did the gardening."

But last week the two Schoenfeld boys—James, 24, and Richard, 22—were behind bars in California, along with their pal, Frederick Newhall ("Chip") Woods, 24. All three were accused of taking part in the...