ON THE RECORD

Several incidents in Corniel's past came to light today: Public records say he was charged in 1984 in Compton, Calif., with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon (a knife) in a gang-related fight. The Torrance, Calif., Daily Breeze reported he was convicted twice of violent crimes. Corniel was also nearly killed in August 1992 when the car he was driving crashed and caught fire; he underwent extensive reconstructive surgery for severe burns covering 80 percent of his body, but failed to show up last August for more treatment. His sister and her husband, with whom he lived, filed a missing person report on Aug. 26.