List of homicides in California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of notable homicides in California. This list includes notable homicides committed in the U.S. state of California that have a Wikipedia article on the killing, the killer, or the victim. It is divided into four subject areas as follows:

  1. Multiple homicides – homicides having multiple victims, including incidents involving spree killers, acts of terrorism, two mass homicides involving criminal acts causing airline crashes, and a mass suicide directed by a cult leader. The article includes sub-lists for homicides involving school shootings, familicides, and police shootouts.
  2. Serial killers – persons who murder three or more persons with the incidents taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them
  3. Single homicides – notable homicides involving a single fatality, including homicides involving celebrities as victims or perpetrators
  4. Bias homicides – includes attacks directed against Native Americans (a more complete list of those incidents is set forth in the California genocide article), Asian immigrants, members of a religious group, and individuals based on sexual orientation

Multiple homicides

Listed in chronological order

More information No., Incident ...
No. Incident Location Date Deaths Description Sources
1Lexington murdersLexington1883-03-112Double murder, two of the perpetrators were hanged[1][2][3]
2Los Angeles Times bombingLos Angeles1910-10-121Union member bombed the Los Angeles Times building[4]
3 1928 Fairfield murders Solano County 1928-08-22 11 Mass shooting at former workplace [5]
4Adele RitchieLaguna Beach1930-04-242Actress who fatally shot a set designer during an argument before killing herself[6]
5Pacific Air Lines Flight 773Contra Costa County1964-05-0744Pilot of airliner shot during flight causing plane to crash[7]
61965 Highway 101 sniper attackOrcutt1965-04-25416-year-old youth opened fire on cars traveling along the 101 freeway[8]
7Tate–LaBianca murdersLos Angeles1969-08-08/108Murders perpetrated by members of the Manson Family, victims included actress Sharon Tate[9][10][11][12]
81973 South Los Angeles shootingsLos Angeles1973-04-227Spree shootings at gas stations and private residences[13][14]
91974 Los Angeles International Airport bombingLos Angeles1974-08-063Bombing by Yugoslavian immigrant in Pan Am's international terminal killed three and injured 36[15]
10Golden Dragon massacreSan Francisco1977-09-045Gang-related shooting at Chinese restaurant[8]
11Robert Alton HarrisSan Diego1978-07-052Murdered two teenagers eating cheeseburgers in a supermarket parking lot; executed in 1992, first person executed in California since 1967[16][17]
12Moscone–Milk assassinationsSan Francisco1978-11-272San Francisco Supervisor Dan White shot Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk[18]
13Keddie murdersKeddie1981-04-114Unsolved quadruple homicide of one woman and three children at the Keddie Resort[19][20]
14Wonderland murdersLaurel Canyon1981-07-014Unsolved murder of four persons at a drug house, also known as the "Laurel Canyon Murders"[11][21]
15San Ysidro McDonald's massacreSan Ysidro1984-07-1823Mass shooting at McDonald's restaurant[22]
16Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771San Luis Obispo County1987-12-0743Plane crashed after being hijacked[23]
17Sunnyvale ESL shootingSunnyvale1988-02-167Workplace shooting at ESL Incorporated[24][25]
181991 Sacramento hostage crisisSacramento1991-04-046Hostage crisis at Good Guys store in Florin Mall, 40 hostages held at gunpoint[26]
19Lynwood DrakeMorro Bay/Paso Robles1992-11-077Spree killing at two homes and a card club[27]
20101 California Street shootingSan Francisco1993-07-019Mass shooting at offices of Petit & Martin law firm[8]
21Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron GoldmanLos Angeles1994-06-122Unsolved murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. O. J. Simpson tried and acquitted[11][8]
22Heaven's GateRancho Santa Fe1997-03-2639Mass suicide by cult members at direction of cult leader[28][29]
23Black Widow MurdersLos Angeles1999, 20052Two elderly women convicted of murdering two vagrants in 1999 and the second in 2005[11]
24Glen HelzerConcord20005Former leader of the "Children of Thunder" cult murdered five people as part of an extortion plot[30][31]
252001 Nevada County shootingsNevada County2001-01-103Shooting spree by 40-year-old man with semi-automatic pistol[32]
262002 Los Angeles International Airport shootingLos Angeles2002-07-043Gunman opened fire at ticket counter of El Al, Israel's national airline[33]
272004 Jenner, California, double murderJenner2004-08-142Young Midwestern couple shot as they slept on a Sonoma Coast beach[34]
282005 Glendale train crashLos Angeles2005-01-2611Suicidal man parked on tracks and caused crash of Metrolink commuter train[35]
29Goleta postal facility shootingsGoleta2006-01-308Spree killing by former postal worker[36]
30Murder of Jan Pawel and Quiana Jenkins PietrzakRiverside County2008-10-152Married couple tortured, sexually assaulted and shot by four Marines[37]
31SiPort shootingSanta Clara2008-11-143Former employee returned to workplace and shot the CEO and two other executives in the head[38][39][40]
32Daniel WozniakLos Alamitos2010-05-212Struggling actor murdered soldier to steal his combat pay and then murdered a friend of the soldier to make it appear the soldier killed her and then disappeared[41][42]
332011 Seal Beach shootingSeal Beach2011-10-128Mass shooting at a hair salon, deadliest mass shooting in Orange County history[8]
34Southern California Edison shootingIrwindale2011-12-163Workplace shooting[43][44]
352012 Ingleside, San Francisco homicideSan Francisco2012-03-235Murder of family of Chinese immigrants, sometimes called the "Lei family quintuple slayings"[45][46]
36Murder of Ming Qu and Ying WuLos Angeles2012-04-112Chinese graduate students at USC shot to death while sitting in their BMW near campus[47]
37Murders of Claudia Maupin and Oliver NorthupDavis2013-04-142Torture, mutilation and murder of elderly couple in their home, perpetrator a 15-year-old psychopath[48]
382015 San Bernardino attackSan Bernardino2015-12-0216Terrorist attack by Muslim couple on public health department Christmas party[49]
39San Francisco UPS shootingSan Francisco2017-06-144Workplace shooting at UPS facility[50]
40Rancho Tehama shootingsRancho Tehama2017-11-136Shooting spree in which five were killed and 18 injured at 8 crime scenes[51]
41Yountville shootingYountville2018-03-085Murder-suicide shooting at Veterans Home of California[52]
42Thousand Oaks shootingThousand Oaks2018-11-0713Mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill[53]
43Gilroy Garlic Festival shootingGilroy2019-07-284Mass shooting at garlic festival[54]
44Orinda shootingOrinda2019-10-315Mass shooting during a house party[55]
452019 Fresno shootingFresno2019-11-174Mass shooting at football watch party[56]
46Aguanga shootingAguanga2020-09-077Mass murder at residence used to grow illegal marijuana[57]
472021 Orange, California office shootingOrange2021-03-314Shooting at office building[58]
482021 San Jose shootingSan Jose2021-05-2610Mass shooting at transit rail yard[59]
492022 Sacramento shootingSacramento2022-04-036Mass shooting by multiple shooters in downtown Sacramento[60]
502023 Goshen shootingGoshen2023-01-166Execution-style killing of six persons, including a 10-month-old baby at a house where a search warrant had been executed one week earlier as part of a drug investigation[61]
512023 Monterey Park shootingMonterey Park2023-01-2112Mass shooting at a dance studio during Lunar New Year celebration[62]
522023 Half Moon Bay shootingsHalf Moon Bay2023-01-237Workplace shooting at two farms[63]
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School shootings

Listed in chronological order

More information No., Incident ...
No. Incident Location Date Deaths Description Sources
1California State University, Fullerton massacreFullerton1976-07-127School shooting perpetrated by university custodian[8][64][65]
2Cleveland Elementary School shooting (San Diego)San Diego1979-01-29216-year-old girl fired at neighboring school from a window[64]
3Stockton schoolyard shootingStockton1989-01-175School shooting in an elementary school yard[8][64]
4Lindhurst High School shootingOlivehurst1992-05-014School shooting perpetrated by former student[64]
5San Diego State University shootingSan Diego1996-08-153Graduate student shot and killed three professors at engineering building[8]
6Costa Mesa school car attackCosta Mesa1999-05-032Man drove his Cadillac into preschool playground and opened fire, killing two and wounding five[66]
72001 Isla Vista killingsIsla Vista2001-02-235Vehicular homicide and assault near UCSB campus, perpetrator was son of director Dan Attias[67][68]
8Santana High School shootingSantee2001-03-052School shooting perpetrated by 15-year-old student[8][64]
92012 Oikos University shootingOakland2012-04-027Mass shooting at Korean Christian college[8][64]
102013 Santa Monica shootingsSanta Monica2013-06-076Spree shooting at Santa Monica College campus following domestic dispute and house fire[64]
112014 Isla Vista attacksIsla Vista2014-05-237Perpetrator conducted vehicular homicide and murder with knives in Isla Vista (close to UCSB), killing six UCSB students and himself. Perpetrator was son of director Peter Rodger.[69]
122016 UCLA shootingLos Angeles2016-06-013Unsuccessful Ph.D. student shot his thesis adviser, his estranged wife, and himself[70][71]
132017 North Park Elementary School shootingSan Bernardino2017-04-103Man shot his estranged wife at the school where she worked and a student standing behind her and then killed himself[72]
142019 Saugus High School shootingSanta Clarita2019-11-143Student age 16 shot five schoolmates, killed two, then killed himself[64]
15Union City, California elementary school double murderUnion City, California2019-11-202Boys ages 11 and 14 shot in school parking lot by two gang members[73][74]
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Familicides

Listed in chronological order

More information No., Incident ...
No. Incident Location Date Deaths Description Sources
1James DunhamCampbell1896-05-266Killed his wife, 3 members of her family and 2 household servants[75]
2George HassellWhittier1917, 192613Spree killer, killed his wife and three children in Whittier, then killed his second family in Texas in 1926[76][77]
3Ralph WorksPasadena1941-08-082Murder-suicide in which former professional baseball pitcher shot himself and his wife[78]
4Barbecue murdersTerra Linda1975-06-212Married couple murdered in their home by adopted daughter and her boyfriend who attempted to dispose of bodies by burning in a barbecue pit[8]
5Judith BarsiCanoga Park1988-07-253Murder suicide in which father killed his 10-year-old actress-daughter and his wife[79]
6Ramon SalcidoSonoma/Cotati1989-04-147Spree killer of six family members and workplace supervisor[80][81]
7Lyle and Erik MenendezBeverly Hills1989-08-202Shotgun murders of José and Mary Louise ("Kitty") Menendez by their sons[11][8]
8Betty BroderickSan Diego1989-11-052Convicted of murdering her ex-husband and second wife, later depicted in A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story[11]
9Dana EwellFresno1992-04-193Ordered the killing of his father, mother and sister[82]
10Marcus WessonFresno2004-03-129Father murdered his family[10][8]
11Covina massacreCovina2008-12-2410Christmas Eve shooting by family member wearing Santa suit[10][11][8]
12Hart family murdersMendocino County2018-03-268Murder-suicide in which white lesbian couple murdered their six adopted black children and then killed themselves[83][84]
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Police shootouts and killings

Listed in chronological order

More information No., Incident ...
No. Incident Location Date Deaths Description Sources
1Walter H. AubleLos Angeles1908-09-091Police chief of Los Angeles shot and killed by a burglary suspect while trying to make an arrest[85]
2September 1937 Folsom escape attemptFolsom1937-09-195Attempted prison escape in which the warden, two guards, and two prisoners were killed; five others involved in the attempt were executed[86][87]
3The Onion FieldLos Angeles1963-03-091Kidnapping and murder of LAPD officer, later a book by Joseph Wambaugh[11]
4Murders of Theodore L. Newton Jr. and George F. AzrakAnza1967-06-172Two Border Patrol agents kidnapped and murdered by marijuana smugglers[88][89]
5Marin County Civic Center attacksSan Rafael1970-08-074Kidnapping of judge followed by shootout with police, led to manhunt for Angela Davis[90][91]
6Newhall incidentValencia1970-04-055Shootout in which four California Highway Patrol officers were killed, deadliest day in California law enforcement history[92][93]
7Symbionese Liberation Army shootoutLos Angeles1974-05-176Members of the group shot or burned in South LA house during shootout with LAPD[94][95]
8Norco shootoutNorco1980-05-093Shootout between five heavily armed bank robbers and sheriff deputies, one officer and two perpetrators killed; eight other officers, a civilian, and two perpetrators injured[96]
9North Hollywood shootoutNorth Hollywood1997-02-282Shootout between police and bank robbers wearing body armor, both bank robbers killed[97]
10Kevin GainesLos Angeles1997-03-181Police officer who also worked security for Death Row Records and was living with Suge Knight's estranged wife was shot by an undercover LAPD detective[98]
11Stevenson Ranch shootoutStevenson Ranch2001-08-312Shootout resulting in deaths of a convicted felon and a sheriff's deputy[99]
122009 shootings of Oakland police officersOakland2009-03-215Wanted felon shot two officers during a traffic stop, then shot and killed two SWAT officers[100][101]
13Christopher Dorner shootings and manhuntSouthern California2013-025After being fired, former LAPD officer killed two civilians and two law enforcement, manhunt ended in shootout at cabin in Big Bear[102][103]
142013 shooting of Santa Cruz police officersSanta Cruz2013-02-263Two police officers shot and killed, perpetrator then killed in shootout with police[104]
15Luis BracamontesSacramento2014-10-242Undocumented immigrant opened fire on sheriff's deputies, killing two; Donald Trump ran an ad blaming Democrats for the murders[105][106]
162020 boogaloo murdersOakland
Ben Lomond		2020-05-29
2020-06-06		2Two ambush-style attacks occurred against security personnel and law enforcement officers in California. The attacks left two dead and injured three others.[107][108]
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Serial killers

Listed in chronological order by date of earliest homicide

More information No., Incident ...
No. Incident Location Date Deaths Description Sources
1Earle NelsonCalifornia, Oregon +1926–192722–29Known as the "Gorilla Man", the first serial killer in USA to receive widespread media attention[109]
2Wineville Chicken Coop murders, Gordon Stewart NorthcottWineville1926–19283+Series of abductions and murders committed by a 19-year-old farmer, his mother, and his nephew[11][110]
3Stephen A. NashVarious locations in California, including Los Angeles1955–19565–11Murdered five to 11 men and boys.[111][112]
4Bouncing Ball KillerLos Angeles1959–19606–7+Serial killer also known as the Rubber Ball Strangler[113][114][115][116][117][118]
5Patrick KearneySouthern California1962–197721–43Serial killer and child molester, a list of men believed to be victims was found in his trunk[11][119]
6Zodiac KillerSan Francisco1968–19695–37Killed three couples and a cab driver and wrote 15 letter to local newspapers, including cryptograms and clues[9][120]
7Rodney AlcalaCalifornia1968–19798+Serial killer sometimes known as "The Dating Game Killer" because he won an episode of The Dating Game television show[11][65][121]
8Samuel Little19 states1970–200560–93Confessed to murdering 93 women, most prolific serial killer in U.S. history[10]
9Juan CoronaSutter County197125+Mexican serial killer who was convicted of the murders of 25 migrant farm workers found buried in shallow graves in peach orchards along the Feather River in Sutter County[10][122]
10Randy KraftSouthern California1971–198316–67Known as the "Scorecard Killer", raped and murdered at least 16 young men[9][10][123][11][65]
11Santa Rosa hitchhiker murdersNorth Bay1972–19737+Female hitchhikers found nude in rural areas of Sonoma and Santa Rosa Counties[9]
12Zebra murdersSan Francisco1973–197415–73+Racially-motivated attacks by a group of four black serial killers[124]
13DoodlerSan Francisco1974–19756–16Unidentified serial killer who sketched his male victims before having sex with and killing them[9]
14Joseph James DeAngeloCalifornia1974–198613Serial killer and rapist[9][10]
15William SuffLake Elsinore1974–199213+Serial killer known as "The Riverside Prostitute Killer" and "The Lake Elsinore Killer"[125]
16Gypsy Hill killingsSan Mateo County19765+Homicides of young women and girls by a suspected serial killer known in media as the "San Mateo Slasher"[126][127]
17Steven David CatlinBakersfield, Fresno1976–19843Convicted of murdering two wives and his adoptive mother[128]
18Hillside StranglerLos Angeles1977–197812Serial killers later identified as cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr.[10][11][21]
19Roger KibbeSacramento1977–19878+Serial killer and rapist known as the "I-5 Strangler"[129]
20Joseph NasoNorthern California1977–19946–10Serial killer and rapist[130]
21Richard Trenton ChaseSacramento1977–19786Serial killer, necrophile, and cannibal that murdered 6 men, women, and children at random in a month long killing spree[131]
22Skid Row StabberLos Angeles1978–197912Unsolved murders of homeless people[132]
23Gerald and Charlene GallegoSacramento1978–198010Serial killers who kidnapped and murder teenagers after keeping as sex slaves[133]
24Joseph Edward DuncanCalifornia, Idaho1978–20055–8Convicted serial killer and child molester[134][135]
25Terry Peder RasmussenCalifornia, New Hampshire1978–20026+Serial killer sometimes known as "Bob Evans" and "The Chameleon Killer"[136]
26Lawrence Bittaker and Roy NorrisSouthern California19795Known as the "Tool Box Killers", murdered and raped five teenage girls[137]
27William BoninSouthern California1979–198021–36+Serial killer, pederast and sex offender who committed the rape, torture, and murder of a minimum of 21 young men and boys[9][10][11][65][138]
28David CarpenterSan Francisco1979–19818–10+Serial killer known for stalking and killing victims in state parks near San Francisco, also known as the Trailside Killer[139]
29Doug Clark (serial killer)Los Angeles19806+Serial killer with accomplice Carol Bundy known as the "Sunset Strip Killers"[140]
30David MasonOakland19805–6Serial killer killed at least four elderly people; executed in 1993[141][142]
31Dorothea PuenteSacramento1982–19889Ran a boarding house and murdered elderly and mentally disabled boarders before cashing their Social Security checks[143]
32Leonard Lake and Charles NgCalaveras County1983–198511–25Ex-Marine who had a cabin that he described as a "dungeon" where he kidnapped, raped, and murdered women[10][139]
33Speed Freak KillersSan Joaquin County1984–19994–19Methamphetamine users convicted of four murders[144]
34Grim SleeperLos Angeles1984–200710–25+Serial killer who received nickname when he appeared to have taken a 14-year break from his crimes, from 1988 to 2002[9][10][11][145]
35Richard RamirezLos Angeles, San Gabriel Valley1984–198513Serial killer known as the "Night Stalker"[9][10][139][11][65][146]
36Michael Hughes (serial killer)California1986–19937+Former security guard who killed women living or working on the streets[10][123][147]
37Joseph DanksLos Angeles1986–19907Murdered 6 homeless men in a month long killing spree, and strangled his cellmate after being convicted<ref"Man Gets Death Sentence for Killing Cellmate". Los Angeles Times. Apr 4, 1993.</ref>
38Chester TurnerLos Angeles1987–199815+Convicted of murdering 10 women; another man was earlier wrongfully convicted for his crimes[10][123]
39Efren SaldivarGlendale1988–19986–200+Respiratory therapist at Adventist Health Glendale, killed patients by injecting a paralytic drug inducing cardiac and respiratory arrest, known as Angel of Death[11][148]
40Keith Hunter JespersonCalifornia, Oregon1990–19958–185Known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities[149]
41Michael GargiuloSouthern California1993–20083–10Serial killer known as The Hollywood Ripper[150]
42Wayne Adam FordCalifornia1997–19984+Long-haul driver murdered and dismembered three sex workers and a hitchhiker[10][151]
43Pittsburg serial murdersPittsburg1998–19995Killings of one man and four women, some of the victims either engaged in prostitution or were drug addicts[152][153][154]
44Cary StaynerMariposa County19994Serial killer who killed women near Yosemite[10][155]
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Single homicides

Listed in chronological order

More information No., Incident ...
No. Incident Location Date Description Sources
1Virginia RappeSan Francisco1921-09-09Silent film actress, comedian Roscoe Arbuckle tried and acquitted of manslaughter[156]
2William Desmond TaylorLos Angeles1922-02-01Director of 59 silent films shot in the back at his apartment, unsolved, subject of frenzy of sensationalist press coverage[157]
3Murder of Marion ParkerLos Angeles1927-12-1712-year-old girl abducted and murdered, billed as "the most horrible crime of the 1920s" by the Los Angeles Times[158][159]
4Brooke HartSan Jose1933-11-09Son of department store owner kidnapped and murdered, perpetrators then lynched[160][161]
5Sleepy Lagoon murderCommerce1942-08-02Murder of José Gallardo Díaz, who was discovered unconscious and dying near a swimming hole[11][162]
6Black DahliaLos Angeles1947-01-14Unsolved murder and mutilation of 22-year-old woman[11][156][163]
7Bugsy SiegelBeverly Hills1947-06-20Mobster murdered in his Beverly Hills home, shot through window with .30 caliber military M1 carbine[11][164]
8Barbara GrahamBurbank1953-03-09Murdered widow Mabel Monohan in home burglary; Graham later depicted in I Want to Live![11][8][165]
9Murder of Johnny StompanatoBeverly Hills1958-04-04Murder of Lana Turner's boyfriend by Turner's 14-year-old daughter Cheryl Crane[11][8][156][166]
10Elizabeth Ann DuncanVentura1958Woman hired hitman to kill her daughter-in-law; last woman executed in California[11][167]
11Carl "Alfalfa" SwitzerMission Hills1959-01-21Former child star shot and killed trying to collect a $50 debt[168][169]
12Karyn KupcinetWest Hollywood1963-11-28Actress murdered six days after assassination of President Kennedy, prompting John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories[170]
13Sam CookeSouth Central Los Angeles1964-12-11R&B singer shot and killed by motel manager[11][8]
14Murder of Cheri Jo BatesRiverside1966-10-3018-year-old college freshman stabbed and slashed to death on grounds of Riverside City College[171]
15Assassination of Robert F. KennedyLos Angeles1968-06-05Assassination at the Ambassador Hotel by Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan after Kennedy campaigned his speech in the California primary. Kennedy died 25 hours after the assassination[11]
16Ramon NovarroLaurel Canyon1968-10-30Actor murdered by brothers hired for sexual services[11][8]
17Killing of Meredith HunterAlameda County1969-10-24Killed by members of Hells Angels during Altamont Free Concert by The Rolling Stones[172]
18Marcus FosterOakland1973-11-06Superintendent of Oakland school district assassinated by the Symbionese Liberation Army[173]
19Murder of Arlis PerryStanford1974-10-12Newlywed murdered inside Stanford Memorial Church, solved 40 years later with DNA evidence[174]
20Murder of Betty Van PatterSan Francisco1974-12-13Bookkeeper for Black Panther Party was beaten to death, unsolved, she had reportedly threatened to make public her discovery that the party doctored its books[175]
21Sal MineoWest Hollywood1976-02-12Actor stabbed in the heart by a mugger[11][8][168]
22Danny LockinAnaheim1977-08-21Actor stabbed over 100 times by man he met in a gay bar[176][177]
23Murder of Mary QuigleySanta Clara1977-09-10High school senior attended a beer party and was discovered the next day hanging from a chain-link fence in a park near the site of the party, case solved 30 years later with DNA evidence[178]
24Glen Stewart GodwinPalm Springs1980Murdered drug dealer Kim LeValley, stabbing him 26 times, later escaped from prison and was on FBI's 10 most wanted list[179]
25Murder of Suzanne BombardierAntioch1980-06-2214-year-old honor roll student raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender and dumped in the San Joaquin River[180][181]
26Dorothy StrattenLos Angeles1980-08-14Playboy Playmate and actress murdered by her estranged husband and manager Paul Snider[11][8][21]
27Death of Susan Louise JordanRiverside1980-10-2815-year-old girl abducted and dragged to an orange grove where she was raped and strangled[182]
28Killing of Dominique DunneLos Angeles1982-10-30Actress murdered by ex-boyfriend John Sweeney. Dunne died five days later[11][168]
29Killing of Marvin GayeLos Angeles1984-04-01Shot and killed in an altercation with his father[11][8]
30Killing of Roberta 'Bibi' LeeOakland1984-11-04UC Berkeley student killed by her boyfriend[183]
31Herb WallersteinLos Angeles1985-09-27Television director and producer was killed with a baseball bat by his Salvadoran housekeeper, she was found not guilty in light of testimony of physical abuse by Wallerstein[184]
32Murder of Michele AvilaLos Angeles1985-10-01Murder of 17-year-old girl by her former best friends and rivals[185][186]
33Murder of Sherri RasmussenVan Nuys1986-02-24Woman beaten and shot by female LAPD officer[187][188]
34Death of Dag DrolletLos Angeles1987-05-16Shooting of Cheyenne Brando's boyfriend by her brother Christian Brando, who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter[11][189]
35Rebecca SchaefferLos Angeles1989-07-18Murdered at the door of her apartment by an obsessed fan/stalker Robert John Bardo, while awaiting a script from The Godfather Part III to be delivered[11][21][190]
36Huey P. NewtonOakland1989-08-22Murdered on the streets of Oakland[8][191]
37William Arnold NewtonWest Hollywood1990-10-29Gay pornographic actor (stage name Billy London) murdered and placed in dumpster with head and feet in plastic bags[192]
38Killing of Latasha HarlinsSouth Central Los Angeles1991-03-16Fatal shooting of 15-year-old African-American girl by Korean-American convenience store owner[11]
39Murder of Lea MekEl Monte1993-12-03Cambodian refugee and gang member killed in a gang shooting in a pool hall, incident triggered a chain reaction of gang violence[193]
40Murder of Polly KlaasPetaluma1993-10-0112-year-old kidnapped during a slumber party and later strangled by Richard Allen Davis[194]
41Sara KruzanRiverside1994-03-09Sexually trafficked at age 16, she shot and killed the surrogate father who was trafficking her, later became an anti-trafficking activist[195][196]
42Murder of Stephanie KuhenLos Angeles1995-09-17Three-year-old girl killed by gang gunfire; President Bill Clinton condemned the incident and promised funding to fight gangs[197]
43Haing S. NgorLos Angeles1996-02-25Academy Award winning actor (The Killing Fields) murdered by Oriental Lazy Boyz gang in robbery outside his house[11][8][198][199]
44Murder of Ennis CosbyLos Angeles1997-01-16Son of Bill Cosby shot in the head in robbery attempt at the Mulholland exit to the 405 freeway[8][200]
45Murder of the Notorious B.I.G.Los Angeles1997-03-09Murder of rapper in drive-by shooting[201]
46Phil HartmanEncino1998-05-27Actor/comedian shot by his wife as he slept[11][8][202]
47Murder of Michelle O'KeefePalmdale2000-02-2218-year-old aspiring actress murdered on way home from shooting a Kid Rock video, featured on America's Most Wanted and Dateline NBC[203][204]
48Bonny Lee BakleyLos Angeles2001-05-04Wife of actor Robert Blake shot and killed in parked car at restaurant, Blake was tried and found not guilty[11][8][205]
49Murder of Samantha RunnionStanton2002-07-15Five-year-old girl abducted from her home and murdered[206][207]
50Murder of Laci PetersonModesto2002-12-24Murder of pregnant woman by her husband, Scott Peterson[139][8]
51Murder of Lana ClarksonAlhambra2003-02-03Murder of actress by record producer Phil Spector[11][8][168]
52Murder of Yetunde PriceCompton2003-09-14Half-sister and personal assistant to Venus and Serena Williams killed in gang shooting in Compton[208][209]
53Tara Correa-McMullenInglewood2005-10-21Actress who played gang member Graciela on TV series Judging Amy shot in front of an apartment complex[210][211]
54Murder of Chauncey BaileyOakland2007-08-02Journalist shot by member of a crime syndicate he was investigating for a story[212]
55Murder of Jamiel Shaw IILos Angeles2008-03-0217-year-old high school player shot by two Hispanic men while returning home from Beverly Center[213]
56Murder of Sandra CantuTracy2009-03-27Former Sunday school teacher kidnapped, raped, and murdered eight-year-old girl[214]
57Death of Michael JacksonLos Angeles2009-06-25Physician Conrad Murray found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for improperly administering the anesthetic drug propofol[215]
58Ronni ChasenBeverly Hills2010-11-16Hollywood publicist shot and killed while driving home as part of a random robbery[11][8][216]
59Murder of Jeff HallRiverside2011-05-01Leader of neo-Nazis shot to death by his 10-year-old son[217]
60Murder of Michelle LeHayward2011-05-27Nursing student murdered by a woman who believed Le had an affair with her boyfriend[218][219]
61Death of Elisa LamLos Angeles2013-02-19Body recovered from a water tank after a stay at the Cecil Hotel, later the subject of the Netflix series Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel[11][220]
62Murder of Gabriel FernandezPalmdale2013-05-24Eight-year-old boy beaten to death by mother and her boyfriend, long history of abuse overlooked by county child protective services, depicted in the Netflix series, The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez[221][222]
63Suge KnightCompton2015-01-29Convicted of voluntary manslaughter for crashing car into and killing Terry Carter and injuring a second man[11][223]
64Murder of Madyson MiddletonSanta Cruz2015-07-258-year-old girl lured into another apartment where she was strangled and placed in a dumpster by a 15-year-old boy[224]
65Nipsey HussleLos Angeles2019-03-31Rapper shot at least 10 times in parking lot of a clothing store, two others wounded[225]
66 Murder of Brianna Kupfer Los Angeles 2022-01-13 24-year-old University of California, Los Angeles student stabbed and murdered by a 31-year-old man with an extensive criminal record. [226][227]
672022 Laguna Woods shootingLaguna Woods2022-05-15Mass shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church, five injured, one killed[228][229]
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Bias homicides

Listed in chronological order. NOTE: A more complete list of killings of indigenous peoples of California during the California Indian Wars is presented in the article on California genocide.

More information No., Incident ...
No. Incident Location Date Deaths Description Sources
1Sacramento River massacreUpper Sacramento Valley1846-04-05120–700Mass shooting of Wintu people on banks of Sacramento River, perpetrated by soldiers led by John C. Frémont[230][231]
2Sutter Buttes massacreSutter Buttes1846-06Murder of California Indians by militarized expeditionary band led by John C. Frémont, estimated Native American deaths range from several hundred to several thousand
3Bridge Gulch massacreTrinity County1852150Massacre of Wintu people in retaliation for killing of Col. John Anderson[230]
4Yontoket massacreYontocket1853400–500Massacre of Tolowa people in northwestern California[230]
5Mendocino WarMendocino County1859–1860283+White settlers known as the "Eel River Rangers" killed at least 283 Indian men[230]
61860 Wiyot massacreHumboldt County186080–250Massacre of Wiyot people by white settlers[230]
7Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871Los Angeles1871-10-2419Racial massacre targeting Chinese immigrants[11][232]
8San Francisco riot of 1877San Francisco1877-07-23/254Three-day pogrom against Chinese immigrants[233]
9Trout Creek OutrageTruckee1876-06-17/181Anti-Chinese violence in which cabins housing Chinese immigrants were set on fire and shot fired as they fled, killing one and wounding another[234]
10Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shootingGranada Hills, Los Angeles1999-08-101White supremacist opened fire with an Uzi at the North Valley Jewish Community Center, killing one and injuring four[235]
11Murder of Gwen AraujoNewark2002-10-041Teenager beaten and murdered by four men with whom she had been sexually intimate after discovering she was transgender[236]
12Murder of Larry KingOxnard2008-02-14115-year-old student shot twice by fellow student, a gay-bias crime, later the subject of the HBO documentary Valentine Road[237]
132017 Fresno shootingsFresno2017-04-13/184Shooting spree aimed at whites by alleged black supremacist[238]
14Killing of Anthony AvalosLancaster2018-06-211Mother and her boyfriend beat to death her 10-year-old son, allegedly due to belief that he was gay[239][240]
15Poway synagogue shootingPoway2019-04-271Shooting at Chabad center during Passover holiday, three injured[241]
16Killing of Vicha RatanapakdeeSan Francisco2021-01-28184-year-old Thai American killed by being pushed to the ground during wave of anti-Asian violence during COVID-19 pandemic[242]
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See also

Further reading

  • "Forgotten California Murders 1915 to 1918", David Alexander Kulczyk, 2021
  • "Murderers In California: The Unforgettable True Stories of Compulsive Serial Killers on the West Coast", Brenda Brown, Ryan Becker, 2020
  • "Murder in California: Serial Killers and Unsolved Murders", Marques Vickers, 2019

References

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