Man charged with killing Caltech scientist was arrested 2 months earlier

Caltech scientist shot dead

A Caltech scientist was shot and killed at his Llano home; a suspect has been arrested.  

LOS ANGELES - A 29-year-old suspect has been charged with the murder of a renowned Caltech scientist. 

Renowned astrophysicist shot dead 

What we know:

Carl Grillmair, 67, who is revered in the astronomy field for discovering water on a distant planet, was shot and killed Monday morning at his home in Llano, a community in the Antelope Valley. 

Deputies found Grillmair on the front porch suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. 

According to the LA County Sheriff's Department, while deputies were responding to the shooting call, a call also came in about a carjacking in the same area. 

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The shooting suspect, Freddy Snyder, was arrested. He was charged Wednesday with murder and carjacking in connection with the killing, along with an allegation of personal and intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury. 

His bail has been set at $3.175 million. He is scheduled to be arraigned March 26 in Lancaster.

Suspect was arrested 2 months earlier 

Dig deeper:

He was also charged with a burglary, allegedly committed in late December.

Jail records show that Snyder was previously arrested in Palmdale on Dec. 20, 2025, 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 on his own recognizance on Dec. 23, jail records show.

Who is Carl Grillmair?

According to his Caltech biography, Grillmair's work focused on dark matter, galactic structure, stellar populations, and exoplanets. His work also included research using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

Grillmair's friend and Caltech colleague told the Los Angeles Times that he lived in the desert because the nighttime darkness made for better astronomical observations. He even built his own observatory at home and flew airplanes in his spare time.

What we don't know:

It's unclear if Grillmair and Snyder had any connection prior to the killing.

Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or lacrimestoppers.org.