Caltech Astrophysicist Fatally Shot on Porch of His Rural SoCal Home
February 20th, 2026Via: Los Angeles Times:
An accomplished Caltech astrophysicist with more than four decades of research contributions in galactic astronomy and the study of distant planets was fatally shot in a rural area of Antelope Valley on Monday morning. A suspect in the shooting has been charged with murder.
Deputies responded to a 911 call for assault with a deadly weapon in the unincorporated community of Llano at 6:10 a.m. and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound on the front porch of a home, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
The victim was later identified as Carl Grillmair, 67, according to the L.A. County medical examiner. His death was ruled a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the torso.
“He was very famous in astronomy and a very renowned scientist,” said astronomer Sergio Fajardo-Acosta, who worked alongside Grillmair at Caltech for 26 years. “His legacy will live on forever.”
While investigating the shooting, deputies arrested a suspect in a carjacking that took place nearby, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
That suspect was later identified as Freddy Snyder, 29. He was charged Wednesday with the murder of Grillmair and carjacking. He was also charged with first-degree burglary related to a Dec. 28 incident, according to court records.
He is being held in lieu of $2 million. It is unclear what relation, if any, Snyder had with Grillmair.
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