Renowned Caltech scientist and astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, 67, was found dead outside his Los Angeles County home in a remote area that Grillmair chose to watch stars at night. Grillmair is credited with the discovery of galactic streams. The shooting took place Monday when the cops responded to the reports of an assault with a deadly weapon around 6 am.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said emergency responders attempted life-saving measures but Grillmair was pronounced dead. Around the same time, a carjacking was reported from the same area and 29-year-old Freddy Snyder was arrested.
Snyder has been named as a person of interest in Grillmair’s homicide case. Snyder was arrested for murder, carjacking, and burglary on Wednesday. He is in custody with a $2 million bail.
Investigators have not released any motive, and it’s not yet known whether Snyder knew the scientist.
Grillmair worked at the California Institute of Technology with the university’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, which partners with Nasa.
Caltech confirmed that Grillmair was the victim of the shooting in a statement to the Los Angeles news station KTLA.
Murder investigation ongoing
As the investigation into his murder goes on, Grillmair’s friends and colleagues at Caltech remembered his contribution. Astronomer Sergio Farjardo-Acosta told the Los Angeles Times that he was ‘very famous in astronomy and a very renowned scientist.
”His legacy will live on forever,’ Farjardo-Acosta added. He told the publication that Grillmair loved living in the remote area of Antelope Valley so he could watch the stars at night. Grillmair even built an observatory with several telescopes in his home and flew airplanes in his spare time.
Grillmair was awarded the Nasa Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal. According to his biography, his work focused on dark matter, galactic structure, stellar populations, and exoplanets.
