LANCASTER (CNS) – A 29-year-old man is scheduled to be arraigned today in connection with the shooting death of a renowned Caltech scientist at the researcher’s home in a remote part of the unincorporated Antelope Valley community of Llano.
Freddy Snyder is charged with murdering Carl Johann Grillmair, whom authorities said was killed Feb. 16 in the 30700 block of 165th Street East.
Caltech confirmed the victim was Grillmair, 67, who is revered in the astronomy field for discovering water on a distant planet.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies responding to a 911 call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon found Grillmair on the front porch suffering from a gunshot wound, authorities said.
Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
“While investigating the shooting call, Palmdale Sheriff’s Station deputies also responded to a carjacking call in the same area,” according to a statement released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The shooting suspect was initially detained and was subsequently arrested, authorities said.
Snyder was charged Feb. 18 with murder, which includes an allegation that he personally and intentionally discharged a rifle, causing great bodily injury and death to Grillmair. The defendant is also charged with one count of carjacking involving a woman identified by the Los Angeles Times as his mother, including an allegation that he personally and intentionally discharged a rifle during the crime Feb. 16, along with one count of first-degree residential burglary last Dec. 28.
Jail records show that Snyder was previously arrested in Palmdale last Dec. 20 on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm in a personal vehicle. He was charged in that case, but the charge was later dismissed for unknown reasons, according to court records.
Snyder was released from custody Dec. 23, jail records show.
According to his Caltech online biography, Grillmair’s work included research using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and focused on galactic structure, dark matter and stellar populations.
A friend and Caltech colleague of Grillmair’s told The Times that the scientist lived in the desert because the nighttime darkness made for better astronomical observations. He even built his own observatory at his expansive home, according to the Times.
The motive for the attack was not immediately disclosed.
The case comes amid broader scrutiny of recent deaths and disappearances involving scientists nationwide, including several tied to the Los Angeles area. Among them are the 2023 death of a former Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist in Pasadena, the 2024 death of another JPL researcher in Los Angeles, and the 2025 disappearance of a JPL worker who went missing while hiking in the Angeles National Forest.
Federal officials have said they are reviewing the cases for any potential connections, though none have been confirmed.