Daniel Patrick Wozniak (born March 23, 1984) is a former American
community theatre Community theatre refers to any theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community. It may refer to a production that is made entirely by a community with no outside he ...
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
who was convicted of two counts of murder in September 2016. In May 2010, Wozniak killed his neighbor and friend,
Private First Class
Private first class (french: Soldat de 1 classe; es, Soldado de primera) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in a number of armed forces.
French speaking countries
In France and other French speaking countries, the rank (; ) ...
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
A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...
. Wozniak and his then-fiancée, Rachel Mae Buffett, lived in the same apartment complex as Herr in
Costa Mesa
Costa may refer to:
Biology
* Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy
* Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus
* Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral
* Costa (entomology), the leading edge of t ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.
After more than five years of court proceedings, Wozniak went to trial and was convicted on two counts of
first-degree murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...
.
He was found guilty and
sentenced to death
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
in September 2016. He was incarcerated at California's
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County.
Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the ...
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
Private first class (french: Soldat de 1 classe; es, Soldado de primera) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in a number of armed forces.
French speaking countries
In France and other French speaking countries, the rank (; ) ...
Samuel "Sam" Herr, a 26-year-old
Afghanistan War
War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to:
*Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC)
*Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709)
*Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...
veteran, at a
Los Alamitos theater. 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.
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
Orange Coast College (OCC) is a public community college in Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides Associate of Art and Associate of Science degrees, cert ...
. 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.
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.
Soon after, Wozniak was apprehended by
US Marshals
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
while at his
bachelor party
A bachelor party (in the United States and sometimes in Canada), also known as a stag weekend, stag do or stag party (in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, and Ireland), or a buck's night (in Australia), is a party held/arranged by th ...
two days before his wedding.
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
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
. 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
Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fr ...
declared a moratorium on capital punishment in the state.
In November 2012, Wozniak's then-fiancée, Rachel Mae Buffett, was arrested
and charged with three felony counts of accessory-after-the-fact based on allegations that she had lied multiple times to police investigators.
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.
In popular culture
The case has been covered by numerous crime and news programs in the United States, including:
*
''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.
*
''Lockup'' (
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
,
"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.
* ''
Dateline NBC
''Dateline NBC'' is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasion ...
'' ("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
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...
, aired July 5, 2019). Buffett was interviewed by reporter
Josh Mankiewicz
Joshua Paul "Josh" Mankiewicz (born August 27, 1955) is an American journalist, who has been reporting for ''Dateline NBC'' since 1995. He has reported for ''The Today Show'' and ''NBC Nightly News'' with Brian Williams, and '' Sunday Night with ...
about her part in the murder investigation.
*
''20/20'' (
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, "Mystery in Apartment 410" first aired March 4, 2016). Reported on the May 2010 murders.
* ''
Crime Watch Daily
''Crime Watch Daily'' is an American syndicated investigative news magazine television series. Premiering on September 14, 2015, the program was originally hosted by veteran Australian television journalist Matt Doran. The remaining two season ...
'' (first aired June 8, 2016): Profiled the case.
*
''The Perfect Murder'' (
Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Ameri ...
, "Curtain Call," first aired August 24, 2016). Reported on the case.
*
''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.
*
''Unusual Suspects: Deadly Intent'' (Investigation Discovery, "Final Curtain," first aired November 1, 2017). Reported on the case and depicted Wozniak as an unassuming killer.
* ''My Favorite Murder'' ("Live at The Grove in Anaheim," first aired November 2, 2017). Karen Kilgariff tells the story of "killer Daniel Wozniak."
* ''In Ice Cold Blood'' (
Oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...
, "Closing Night"). Profile of the case.
*
''20/20'' (
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, "The Final Act" first aired May 31, 2019).
* ''
Casefile
''Casefile True Crime Podcast'', or simply ''Casefile'', is an Australian crime podcast that first aired in January 2016 and is hosted by an Australian man who remains anonymous. The podcast is released on a Sunday (EST) for three consecuti ...
'' ("Case 195: The Costa Mesa Murders")
* ''
Crime Junkie
''Crime Junkie'' is a true crime podcast hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat, based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Production and format
In a Q&A with ''Inside Radio'', Flowers said that she and Prawat, her co-host, have been friends since birth ...
'' ("MURDERED: Julie Kibuishi and Sam Herr")
* ''
Sword and Scale
''Sword and Scale'' is a bi-weekly American podcast exploring nonfiction stories of true crime. It features a variety of narrated true crime stories intertwined with interviews with criminals, witnesses, victims, authors, 911 call audio, witness ...
'', Episode 164.
Additional pop culture references:
* The song "Killer," from
Eminem's 2020 album ''
Music to Be Murdered By – Side B (Deluxe Edition)'', references Wozniak.
See also
*
List of homicides in California
This is a list of notable homicides in California. This list includes notable homicides committed in the U.S. state of California that have a Wikipedia article on the killing, the killer, or the victim. It is divided into four subject areas as fo ...
*
Capital punishment in California
In the U.S. state of California, capital punishment is a legal penalty. However it is not allowed to be carried out because executions were halted by an official moratorium ordered by Governor Gavin Newsom. Prior to the moratorium, executions w ...
*
List of death row inmates in the United States
, there were 2,414 death row inmates in the United States. The number of death row inmates changes frequently with new convictions, appellate decisions overturning conviction or sentence alone, commutations, or deaths (through execution or otherw ...
References
External links
Military Justice for All - Sam Herr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wozniak, Daniel
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
1984 births
2010 in California
Criminals from California
Crime in California
Murder in California
Deaths by firearm in California
People convicted of murder by California
Prisoners sentenced to death by California
Murder trials
American people convicted of murder
American prisoners sentenced to death
21st-century American criminals