WThe murder of Cheri Jo Bates is an unsolved murder that occurred in Riverside, California, on October 30, 1966. Bates, an 18-year-old college freshman, was stabbed and slashed to death on the grounds of Riverside City College. Police determined the assailant had disabled the ignition coil wire and distributor of Bates's Volkswagen Beetle as a method to lure her from her car as she studied in the college library. The murder itself remains one of Riverside's most infamous cold cases and has been described by some locals as a murder which "stripped Riverside of its innocence".
WBrett Ross Cantor was an American record label executive, concert promoter and nightclub owner. He was born in New York to Rhonda and Paul Cantor, who managed acts such as B. J. Thomas and Dionne Warwick. In the early 1970s, he and his family moved to the Los Angeles area. In the early 1990s, he served as an A&R executive for the Chrysalis Music Group.
WThor Nis Christiansen was a Danish-American serial killer from Solvang, California. He committed his first three murders in late 1976 and early 1977, killing young women of similar appearance from nearby Isla Vista. His crimes motivated large demonstrations opposed to violence against women, and in favor of better transportation for the young people residing in Isla Vista. In 1979, he killed a young woman from Los Angeles. A fifth intended victim escaped with a bullet in her head, and later identified him in a Los Angeles bar.
WIn California, there are many murder victims in the category of unidentified decedents, whose identities remain unknown. In most of these cases, their murderers have never been identified.
WRodney Paul Craig was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for four seasons. Born in Los Angeles, he played for the Seattle Mariners from 1979 to 1980, Cleveland Indians in 1982, and Chicago White Sox in 1986. Craig was stabbed to death at a homeless encampment in Los Angeles.
WRonald Lyle Goldman was an American restaurant waiter and a friend of Nicole Brown Simpson, the ex-wife of O. J. Simpson. He was killed along with Brown at her home in Los Angeles, California, on June 12, 1994. Simpson was acquitted of their killings in 1995, but found liable for both deaths in a 1997 civil lawsuit.
WDNA Doe Project is an American non-profit volunteer organization formed to identify unidentified deceased persons using forensic genealogy. Volunteers identify victims of automobile accidents, homicide, and unusual circumstances, and persons who committed suicide under an alias. The group was founded in 2017 by Colleen Fitzpatrick and Margaret Press.
WMeredith Curly Hunter, Jr. was an audience member who was killed at the 1969 Altamont Free Concert. During the performance by The Rolling Stones, Hunter approached the stage, and was violently driven off by members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club who had agreed to serve as security guards. He subsequently returned to the stage area, drew a revolver, and was stabbed and beaten to death by Hells Angel Alan Passaro.
WThe 2014 Isla Vista killings were a series of deadly misogynistic terror attacks in Isla Vista, California. On the evening of May 23, 22-year old Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured fourteen others – by gunshot, stabbing and vehicle ramming – near the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and then killed himself.
WCurtis 'Snowball' McHenry was an American stuntman and comedian, who appeared in Larry Semon comedies in the 1920s.
WSalvatore Mineo Jr. was an American actor, singer, and director. He is best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the drama film Rebel Without a Cause (1955), which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him the fifth-youngest nominee in the category.
WIn California, there are many murder victims in the category of unidentified decedents, whose identities remain unknown. In most of these cases, their murderers have never been identified.
WNicole Brown Simpson was the ex-wife of former professional American football player O. J. Simpson, to whom she was married from 1985 to 1992, and the mother of their two children, Sydney and Justin.
WRobert Bruce Sinclair was an American director who worked in film, theater and television.
WSteven Paul Smith, known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. Smith's primary instrument was the guitar, though he also played piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style, characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies.
WOn the evening of April 4, 1958, 14-year-old Cheryl Crane stabbed 32-year-old Johnny Stompanato, the boyfriend of her mother, actress Lana Turner, at Turner's rented home in Beverly Hills, California. Stompanato, an ex-Marine and affiliate of the Cohen crime family, had been in a year-long relationship with Turner which had been rocky and marked with physical abuse.
WSharon Marie Tate Polanski was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she played small television roles before appearing in films and was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover girl. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic and dramatic acting performances, Tate was hailed as one of Hollywood's most promising newcomers.
WTammy A. Vincent was a teenage runaway who was murdered in September 1979. Her body was not identified until 2007, twenty-eight years after her death. It was previously believed she may have been a victim of the notorious Green River killings. Vincent's case has not been officially solved. NCIS cast member Pauley Perrette collaborated with the popular television show America's Most Wanted in 2009 to work on solving the case.
WOn July 22, 2018, three sisters, Nia, Letifah and Tashiya Wilson, were attacked by a man wielding a knife, later identified as John Cowell, after exiting a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train at MacArthur station in Oakland, California. 18-year-old Nia Wilson died after her throat was slashed. Her older sister, Letifah, was stabbed in the neck but survived. Tashiya was not physically harmed.