The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today unanimously re-established a $20,000 reward, 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 the City of Long Beach in a 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 5 people dead from gun shot wounds inside of a homeless encampment along the south bound 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 years old, Long Beach resident; Vanessa Malaepule – 34 years old, Carson resident; Jose Lorenzo Villicana – 44 years old, Long Beach resident; Frederick Doyle Neumeier – 53 years old, Long Beach resident; and Hamid Shraifat – 41 years old, Signal Hill resident.

It is important for the County of Los Angeles to display its resolve in protecting innocent citizens from appalling crimes, said Supervisor Knabe. In order to bring these suspects to justice, and demonstrate our intolerance to such deplorable crimes, I believe this reward should be re-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.