By Being soft on crime has consequences, and some are more disastrous than others. A celebrated scientist who spent his life studying the furthest reaches of the universe was gunned down on his own front porch last week, allegedly by a man who had been released from custody weeks earlier after a weapons arrest was dismissed under California law.
Freddy Snyder, 29, faces charges of murder, carjacking, and burglary in the killing of Carl Grillmair, 67, a prominent astrophysicist at California Institute of Technology. Snyder is being held on $2 million bail.
Grillmair was widely respected in the field of astronomy for decades of research, including work on Spitzer Space Telescope and studies involving exoplanets, dark matter, galactic structure, and stellar populations.
The shooting unfolded shortly after 6 a.m. in the remote community of Llano in the Antelope Valley, north of Los Angeles. Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to a 911 call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon at a residence in the 30700 block of 165th Street East.
They found Grillmair suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso on the front porch of his home. Despite life-saving efforts by paramedics from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide.
Authorities say Snyder came to their attention shortly afterward when deputies responded to a nearby carjacking report, writes The New York Post. He was arrested in connection with that incident, and investigators subsequently linked him to Grillmair’s killing. Formal charges were filed last Wednesday.
Court and jail records show Snyder had been arrested on December 20, 2025, in Palmdale on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm. He was initially released on his own recognizance. The felony charge was later dismissed under California Penal Code Section 1385.
The statute allows a judge to dismiss charges “in furtherance of justice,” weighing factors such as the nature of the offense, the defendant’s circumstances, and the broader public interest.
Legal experts note that dismissals under PC 1385 are at the judge’s discretion, often following requests from the defense or prosecution, though the final decision rests with the court. Public records do not clearly explain why the charge against Snyder was dismissed, and the identity of the presiding judge has not been widely detailed in reports.
For colleagues, the loss is incalculable.
Grillmair chose to live in the isolated Antelope Valley community in part for its dark skies—ideal for astronomical observation. He constructed his own observatory at home and, outside his academic work, enjoyed flying airplanes.
Those who worked alongside him described him as an “irreplaceable” figure in modern astronomy — a scientist whose research helped deepen understanding of the structure and history of the universe.
Authorities have not publicly clarified whether Grillmair and Snyder knew one another, nor have they disclosed a motive for the shooting.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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