Investigating
Officers: Report
By: Date of Report: Approved:
INV P.
Frankoff
DEP H. Rivera 07-12-99 LT B. Townsend
Market, located on the corner of Niguel
road and Camino del Avion in Monarch Beach/Dana Point. I arrived on scene at the Market at approximately 2127 hours, with Deputies T. Sandoval and S. Thomas arriving about 3 minutes later.
At the front of the Market, there was a small crowd of people gathered, standing around to the left of the entrance, by the telephones. I dispersed the crowd, and found a security guard, Frank
CHURCH, attempting CPR on a female (victim #1, identified as MOSS, Katie) laying on the sidewalk. I asked him how long he had been attempting resuscitation, and he replied that he had been doing
so for ten minutes. I radioed for an ambulance, and then entered the store. Deputy Sandoval dispersed the crowd, and Deputy Thomas began setting up a crime scene. Scene Commander, SGT S.
Richmond, arrived on scene at 2133.
I spoke to the clerk at the counter, William ROGERS, who said he had made a 911 call involving a "crazy lady" chasing a young girl throught the store and into the
alley behind the market. He said the girl was obviously frightened, and a cameraman accompanied the "crazy lady". ROGERS said he dialed 911 because he heard screams coming from behind the
building. ROGERS admitted he had not gone back to look outside.
SGT Richmond and I went through the store and exited out into the alley. We found another body, that of a white male
(Victim #3, MARTIN, Rex) MARTIN's body was located by the Dumpster. He was lying on his stomach. His shirt had been removed, and the word "ARSON" had been carved on his back. He had
obviously suffered trauma to the head by a blunt instrument. We checked for signs of life and found none.
Further up the alley, we found MIEZWA, Mark A., who was sitting on the asphalt next to
another body (Victim #2, BRENNAN, Kristi). He was visibly upset and crying. I attempted to calm MIEZWA down to get his statement, while SGT Richmond went back into the store to gain access to the
video recorder. Other deputies, forensics and ID began arriving at this time.
I asked MIEZWA if he had touched the body, and he stated that he had, but only to see if she was "all right." I
checked for signs of life, and found none. I assisted MIEZWA to his feet, and led him away from the scene.
MIEZWA told me that he and his girlfriend (the deceased, BRENNAN) along with her girlfriend,
MOSS, Katie (Victim #1) and her boyfriend, HORNER, Robert, had been sitting in front of the Market at one of the tables, talking. He said that suddenly, this "Crazy Bitch" accompanied by a man with a
camera, had been walking back and forth along the strip. He and the others began making remarks about her appearance and clothing, when the woman suddenly made a grab for MOSS' shoes. MOSS
struggled, and then ran off, laughing. BRENNAN ran off in another direction, while MIEZWA and HORNER both sat watching. They both thought what was happening was "kind of funny" and they're hazing
of the unidentified woman were all in fun. MIEZWA then heard MOSS scream, and threaten to call 911 if the woman didn't stop chasing her.
MIEZWA then began to become alarmed, but he didn't know what
to do. He then heard BRENNAN scream "Katie! Katie!" BRENNAN ran past him, with the unidentified woman running after her, followed by the cameraman (MARTIN). HORNER had, by this time,
left the scene, so MIEZWA found MOSS lying by the telephones. He didn't check on her, he said, because he was concerned for BRENNAN. He ran into the market, and the clerk, ROGERS, told him where
they had gone.
MIEZWA went out back, and found both bodies. He said he heard a vehicle drive off before he had arrived, but could not provide any description.
I asked MIEZWA if HORNER was,
in fact, gone from the area, and was told that he was. MIEZWA provided me with HORNER's address and phone number, and this was passed along to Investigations.
I interviewed witness, WINTERS,
Theresa, who told me the following. She had just rented a video from the BLOCKBUSTER video rental store next to the market. She had gotten into her vehicle, which was parked in front of the
store, when she heard a "commotion" going on. She looked in to her left, and she saw four young people (Victims 1 and 2, HORNER and MIEZWA) who were teasing a "wild looking" young woman, who had a
cameraman standing behind her, filming her. WINTERS stated that she thought that it was possibly a documentary being filmed, because the camera was a small, but professional looking one. She said
that suddenly the woman lunged at one of the girls, and when both girls began to run away, began chasing them.
WINTERS watched the two girls run from the "wild woman" for about two-five minutes (all
this time, the cameraman was running behind her), when one of the young woman yelled that she was calling the police. She then walked up to the phone, and began to dial. WINTERS then said the
"Mad Lady" grabbed the phone from the caller, and then choked her with it.
I asked WINTERS if she had dialed 911. She said she had, after she saw that the girl was not moving or
breathing. When I enquired why she hadn't done so immediately as the murder occurred, WINTERS became very upset. She had (up to that point) thought everything that had transpired was either a
prank, or an actual movie being filmed.
The security guard, CHURCH, Frank L. had departed the scene shortly after the ambulance had arrived. Employees at both BLOCKBUSTERS and the Market informed me
that CHURCH had been on "Roving Patrol" at the time of the murders. His patrol area is just the Market Place, so he may have witnessed all three murders. Investigations attempted to contact his
agency.
I maintained witnesses MIEZWA and WINTERS on the scene until after Investigations arrived.
