Daniel Wozniak (murderer)

Daniel Patrick Wozniak (born March 23, 1984) is a former American community theatre actor who was convicted of two counts of murder in September 2016. In May 2010, Wozniak killed his neighbor and friend, Private First Class Samuel Eliezer "Sam" Herr, and Herr's friend, Juri "Julie" Kibuishi, as part of a plan to frame Herr for Kibuishi's murder and steal his combat pay. Wozniak was deeply in debt and wanted money to finance his upcoming wedding and honeymoon.[1] Wozniak and his then-fiancée, Rachel Mae Buffett, lived in the same apartment complex as Herr in Costa Mesa, California.

Daniel Wozniak
2016 mugshot
Born
Daniel Patrick Wozniak

(1984-03-23) March 23, 1984
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Conviction(s)First-degree murder (2 counts)
Criminal penaltyDeath (September 23, 2016)
Details
Victims2
DateMay 21, 2010
CountryUnited States
State(s)California
Date apprehended
May 26, 2010
Imprisoned atCalifornia Medical Facility

After more than five years of court proceedings, Wozniak went to trial and was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder.[2] He was found guilty and sentenced to death in September 2016.[3] He was incarcerated at California's San Quentin State Prison until July 2021, when he was moved to Salinas Valley State Prison as part of the Condemned Inmate Transfer Pilot Program.

Crimes and cover-up

On May 21, 2010, Wozniak shot and killed his neighbor, Private First Class Samuel "Sam" Herr, a 26-year-old Afghanistan War veteran, at a Los Alamitos theater.[4] At the time of the murders, Wozniak was deeply in debt and unemployed but planning a lavish wedding and honeymoon. After Herr told him that he had savings of about $62,000 from combat pay, Wozniak decided to kill him in order to acquire the money.[5]

In an effort to misdirect police and cast blame upon Herr, Wozniak then used Herr's cell phone to text Juri "Julie" Kibuishi, a 23-year-old college student who had been tutoring Herr at Orange Coast College. Wozniak lured Kibuishi to Herr's apartment, where he shot and killed her. Wozniak then staged the crime scene to make it appear as though Kibuishi had been sexually assaulted, suggesting that Herr had committed her assault and subsequent murder and then gone on the run. The same evening, Wozniak went on to perform in his local theatre production of the musical Nine. Afterwards, Wozniak dismembered Herr’s body by removing his limbs and head.[6]

An extensive manhunt for Herr was launched by authorities who at that point still believed Herr was responsible for Kibuishi's murder and was on the run. Wozniak came under suspicion after he instructed a sixteen-year-old, Wesley Freilich, to withdraw money from Herr's accounts. When the police confronted the boy, they were told by the boy that Wozniak had asked him to withdraw the money for him.[7]

Soon after, Wozniak was apprehended by US Marshals while at his bachelor party two days before his wedding.[8][9]

After repeatedly lying to police, Wozniak finally confessed. Wozniak led authorities to the area where almost all of Herr's dismembered body was found discarded at El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach. After more than five years of court proceedings, Wozniak went to trial and was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death in September 2016 before California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on capital punishment in the state.

In November 2012, Wozniak's then-fiancée, Rachel Mae Buffett, was arrested[10] and charged with three felony counts of accessory-after-the-fact based on allegations that she had lied multiple times to police investigators.[11]

On September 12, 2018, Buffett was convicted on two of those counts with a maximum possible sentence of 44 months and, on November 8, 2018, was sentenced to 32 months minus time served and good behavior. She was released from jail sometime in 2019.[12][13]

The case has been covered by numerous crime and news programs in the United States, including:

External video
video icon Dr. Phil: Was She an Accomplice to Murder? (part 1)
video icon Crime Watch Daily: Community Actor Kills Veteran, Student For Money To Bankroll Honeymoon (part 1)
video icon The Perfect Murder: Curtain Call
video icon 48 Hours: "Killer Performance"
  • Dr. Phil ("Actress Accused: Was She an Accessory to Murder?", first aired February 5, 2013). During the show, Samuel's father, Steve Herr, showed resentment toward Rachel Buffett, Wozniak's then-fiancée, and her claims of not knowing anything about the murders. Buffett was convicted in 2018 as an accessory-after-the-fact in the murders. She was sentenced to 32 months in prison, minus time served and good behavior. She was released in 2019.[14][15][16]
  • Lockup (MSNBC, "Lockup Orange County: Extended Stay: Unholy Trinity"). The episode was filmed in the Orange County Jail and featured an interview with Wozniak as he proclaimed his innocence. The episode outraged the relatives of Wozniak's victims, who said he charmed the camera and proclaimed his devotion to the Bible and the two people he killed.[17][18]
  • Dateline NBC ("Plot Twist", first aired January 15, 2016; "Final Curtain," first aired November 30, 2018; "Plot Twist" repackaged and shown on Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, a part of Oxygen, aired July 5, 2019). Buffett was interviewed by reporter Josh Mankiewicz about her part in the murder investigation.[14][19][20][21]
  • 20/20 (ABC, "Mystery in Apartment 410" first aired March 4, 2016). Reported on the May 2010 murders.[22][23]
  • Crime Watch Daily (first aired June 8, 2016): Profiled the case.[24]
  • The Perfect Murder (Investigation Discovery, "Curtain Call," first aired August 24, 2016). Reported on the case.[25][26]
  • CBS' 48 Hours ("Killer Performance," first aired October 9, 2016). Correspondent Tracy Smith interviewed friends and family members of the victims, as well as the case prosecutor and other public officials.[27][28]
  • Unusual Suspects: Deadly Intent (Investigation Discovery, "Final Curtain," first aired November 1, 2017). Reported on the case and depicted Wozniak as an unassuming killer.[29]
  • My Favorite Murder ("Live at The Grove in Anaheim," first aired November 2, 2017). Karen Kilgariff tells the story of "killer Daniel Wozniak."[30]
  • In Ice Cold Blood (Oxygen, "Closing Night"). Profile of the case.
  • 20/20 (ABC, "The Final Act" first aired May 31, 2019).[31]
  • Casefile ("Case 195: The Costa Mesa Murders")
  • Crime Junkie ("MURDERED: Julie Kibuishi and Sam Herr")
  • Sword and Scale, Episode 164.

Additional pop culture references:

See also

References
  1. "Actor decapitated neighbor, performed in musical soon after". nypost.com. NYP HOLDINGS, INC. Associated Press. 17 December 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  2. Berg, Tom (December 7, 2015). "Justice delayed: Why it took more than 5 years for trial of Daniel Wozniak, accused of killing 2, beheading one victim". Orange County Register. Southern California News Group. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  3. Andrews, Travis M. (September 26, 2016). "Community theater actor sentenced to death for killing, dismembering Afghanistan vet to pay for wedding". Washington Post. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  4. Dobruck, Jeremiah (January 4, 2016). "Father describes horror of his dismembered son's murder". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  5. Katz, Michele (December 18, 2015). "Actor decapitates Army combat vet and kills vet's girlfriend". Military News. Bright Mountain Media, Inc. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  6. Pelisek, Christine (August 28, 2018). "After Local Theater Star Commits Grisly Double Murder for Cash, a Two-Year Quest for the Truth". people.com. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  7. "- YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  8. Christine Pelisek (March 13, 2015). "Daniel Wozniak Murders: Killer Had a Larger-Than-Life Personality, Friends Say". People.
  9. Hannah Fry (September 23, 2016). "Ex-actor Daniel Wozniak sentenced to death in double murder and grisly cover-up". Los Angeles Times.
  10. Emery, Sean (November 22, 2012). "Actor's ex-fiancée arrested in killings, dismemberment". Staff. The Orange County Register. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  11. Coker, Matt (December 23, 2016). "Brother of Death Row Double Murderer Dan Wozniak Held for Domestic Violence". OC Weekly. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  12. "Ex-Disney Princess Lied to Police Hoping to Help Actor Fiancé Get Away with Double-Murder". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2018-09-16.
  13. Sclafani, Julia (November 9, 2018). "Ex-fiancée of Orange County killer Wozniak is sentenced as accessory". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  14. Puente, Kelly (March 17, 2017). "Trial date set for convicted killer Daniel Wozniak's ex-fiancee Rachel Buffett – Orange County Register". Santa Ana, California: Southern California News Group. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  15. "Actress Accused: Was She an Accessory to Murder? | Dr. Phil". drphil.com. CBS Broadcasting. February 5, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  16. "Dr. Phil | Actress Accused: Was She an Accessory to Murder?". TVGuide.com. February 5, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  17. "Lockup: Orange County---Extended Stay". TVGuide.com. CBS Interactive Inc. March 26, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  18. Austin, Paige (September 2, 2011). "Controversial Show Starring Accused Los Alamitos Killer to Air". Los Alamitos-Seal Beach, CA Patch. Patch Media. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  19. "NBC Dateline | FULL EPISODE: Plot Twist". NBC News. January 15, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  20. Reyes, Traciy (January 16, 2016). "Daniel Wozniak, Rachel Buffett: 'Dateline' NBC Follows Plot Twists Of Actor In Bizarre Costa Mesa, California Murder Case". The Inquisitr. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  21. "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered season 7 episode 10 ("Plot Twist")". simkl.com. Simkl TV Tracker /simkl.org. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  22. "20/20: 'Mystery in Apartment 410' Watch Full Episode". ABC. March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  23. "Daniel Wozniak case: Full story of California double murder investigated on '20/20′". The Mercury News. August 19, 2016.
  24. LaLama, Pat (June 8, 2016). "Community actor kills veteran, student for money to bankroll honeymoon". Crime Watch Daily. Telepictures Productions Inc. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  25. "The Perfect Murder | Watch Full Episodes & More! - Investigation Discovery". www.investigationdiscovery.com. August 24, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  26. Reyes, Traciy (August 24, 2016). "Sam Herr, Juri 'Julie' Kibuishi: 'The Perfect Murder' On Investigation Discovery — Afghanistan War Vet, California Tutor Killed By Actor In Plot To Have Lavish Wedding". The Inquisitr. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  27. "48 Hours | Killer Performance". CBS Interactive Inc. October 9, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  28. "48 Hours-Killer Performance - Video Dailymotion". Dailymotion. June 23, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  29. "Unusual Suspects: Deadly Intent | Watch Full Episodes & More! - Investigation Discovery". November 1, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  30. "93 - Live At The Grove In Anaheim My Favorite Murder With Karen Kilgariff And Georgia Hardstark podcast". player.fm. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  31. "20/20: 'The Final Act' Watch Full Episode". ABC. May 31, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
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