UPDATE: They have found Sammy Herr's head (details after the jump) . . .
Samuel Eliezer Herr's father went to his 26-year-old son's apartment in Costa Mesa Saturday night to check on him.
Instead of finding his son, dad found a deceased woman in the fourth-floor, one-bedroom unit at the Camden
Martinique Apartments, 2800 Pinecreek Drive.
Because Herr was no where to be found, he was originally considered the prime suspect in the murder of Juri Julie Kibuishi, 23, of Irvine. Now he is considered the second murder victim of the man who has been arrested for Kibuishi's slaying.
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Actually, Herr was killed before Kibuishi, according to police.
Officers summoned by Herr's father arrived at Camden
Martinique just before 9:30 p.m. Saturday and discovered Kibuishi had
not
only been shot once in the head with a shotgun, but she apparently had been sexually
assaulted. Her clothing had been removed.
Text
messages were found between Kibuishi and Herr's cell phones
that showed Kibuishi voluntarily went to the apartment. Because Herr and
his white Pontiac were no where to be found, police originally
identified him as the prime suspect in Kibuishi's murder.
Herr, who lived alone in the apartment, was originally identified as a
friend of Kibuishi. The apartment where she took her last breath is
across from Orange Coast College, where there are three different
apartment complexes.
Detectives learned that
ATM
withdrawals were being made with Herr's debit card at various
locations in Long Beach.
After conducting surveillance, a
17-year-old was arrested. Under questioning, the unidentified juvenile
spilled that he had been given the card
and was directed to withdraw money by Daniel Patrick Wozniak, 27,
of Costa Mesa.
Wozniak was arrested Wednesday at a restaurant in
Huntington Beach. At the time, he was still believed to be an accessory and Herr remained the prime suspect. However, based on additional investigation, this is what police say
happened to Herr:
- At about 1 p.m. last Friday, May 21,
Wozniak and Herr drove
to the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, where Wozniak allegedly
shot and
killed Herr in the base's theater facility.
- Wozniak
is then accused of having dismembered Herr by removing his head, left
arm, and
right hand. Dismembered body parts were spread around El Dorado Park in
Long Beach.
- Based on the new information, Costa
Mesa police searched the Los Alamitos base and El Dorado Park with the
help of the FBI and the Long Beach Police Department. Herr's torso was
found at the base, but the search is still on for other body parts at
the park.
UPDATE: This is a message one normally does not find in their email inbox Saturday morning. It's from the Costa Mesa Police Department:
“Dan Wozniak's Guido is superb,” Beers wrote. “Though his character should be an unlikable pig–he's
self-obsessed, egotistical and a liar who uses women as checkers
pieces–Wozniak somehow manages to make Guido eminently likeable and even
sympathetic. This is a man absolutely into himself–both his virtues and
his flaws. And Wozniak captures the angst of a man staring into the
abyss of his own being and seeing his own frailty.”
“Oh my God,” Beers said of discovering the actor he praised is now a double-murder suspect, “this is scary.”
Other than confirming Wozniak appeared in the Hunger Artists' most recent production that ended Sunday, the troupe would have no comment, according to managing director Anthony Galleran.
Wozniak was on stage for the 8 p.m. performances Friday and Saturday, May 21-22, the days police gave for the murders of Herr and Kibuishi respectively.
Chillingly, Wozniak posted the following on his Facebook page May 20:
“Last chance to see me and Rachel in “Nine” at
the Hunger Artists! Hope to see you all there – for those who have
come…Thank You! It was amazing seeing you all! Have a good one
everyone!”
Wozniak was scheduled to get married Saturday, the Orange County Register reports.
May 22 was the last date he logged onto his MySpace, which informs he is a Christian, belongs to the Independence
Party of America, works for 20/20
Companies in Long Beach (“Smile, Sell, Train, and Have Fun”) and attended Golden
West College and Los
Alamitos High School.
Whether Wozniak is guilty or innocent of the charges against him, the title of his favorite television show seems to sum up his current predicament: Lost.
Today's media advisory from the Orange County District Attorney's Office:
May 28, 2010
WHO: Daniel Patrick Wozniak, 26, Costa Mesa
WHAT: Has been charged with two felony counts of special circumstances
murder of Samuel Herr and Juri Kibuishi. The special circumstance
sentencing enhancements include multiple murders, murder for financial
gain, and the personal discharge of a firearm causing death. If
convicted, Wozniak faces a minimum sentence of life in state prison
without the possibility of parole.
Wozniak is being held without bail. He is currently being treated at
Western Medical Center for undisclosed injuries and an arraignment date
and time are to be determined. The Orange County District Attorney's
Office (OCDA) will release a media advisory at a later time with the
arraignment details.
This case is being investigated by the Costa Mesa Police Department with
assistance from the OCDA, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Long Beach
Police Department, Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, Orange
County Coroner's Office, Los Angeles Coroner's Office, Los Angeles
County Sheriff's Department, and Ventura County Sheriff's Department.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.