Signal Tribune Newspaper

Verdun

Malaepule

Villicana

Neumeier

Shraifat

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $20,000 reward this week, at the request of Supervisor Don Knabe, for information related to shooting incidents that led to the death of five homeless persons in the city of Long Beach.
On November 2, 2008, a quintuple murder occurred in a Long Beach homeless encampment. The investigation started with an anonymous caller who reported the crime. The caller gave a brief description of the location which led California Highway Patrol officers to the crime scene. Arriving officers found five people dead from gunshot wounds inside a homeless encampment along the southbound side of the 405 freeway at the Santa Fe Avenue off-ramp.

The following residents of Los Angeles County were identified as the victims of the murder: Katherine Lynn Verdun, 24, of Long Beach; Vanessa Malaepule, 34, of Carson; Jose Lorenzo Villicana, 44, of Long Beach; Frederick Doyle Neumeier, 53, of Long Beach; and Hamid Shraifat, 41, of Signal Hill.
“It is important for the County of Los Angeles to display its resolve in protecting innocent citizens from appalling crimes,” said Knabe. “In order to bring these suspects to justice and demonstrate our intolerance to such deplorable crimes, I believe this reward should be established, hoping someone will come forward so that we can bring these suspects to justice.”
Any person having any information related to the November 2 incident is asked to contact detectives Mark McGuire or Hugo Cortes of the Long Beach Police Department Homicide Division at (562) 570-7244.