Tara Correa-McMullen (born Tara McMullen; May 24, 1989 – October 21, 2005) was an American actress. She played gang member Graciela Reyes on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

TV series ''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves in a ...

''. On October 21, 2005, she was shot dead in front of an apartment complex in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

Early life

Tara Correa-McMullen was born in

Westminster, Vermont Westminster is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,016 at the 2020 census. It is also the first capital of the Republic of Vermont. It borders the state of New Hampshire. History Westminster is Vermont's olde ...

to mother Mary Devra Correa and father Thomas McMullen. In 1996, she, her mother, and her older sister Abigail moved to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, and later settled in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, an affluent neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Correa-McMullen attended Claremont Middle School and later Venice High School, where she sang in the school's choir.

Career

Correa-McMullen's only film role was in the 2005 film '' Rebound'', when her mother, who was working for a casting company at the time, recommended her daughter for the role. Correa-McMullen had no acting experience prior to landing the role. She later won a part as a recurring character on the

TV series ''

'' as a young gang member, and she appeared in several episodes during the series' sixth season. Correa-McMullen also had a small role on one episode of the hit

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

television series ''

Zoey 101 ''Zoey 101'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. It aired from January 9, 2005, to May 2, 2008. It focuses on the lives of Zoey Brooks (Jamie Lynn Spears), her brother Dustin (Paul Butcher (act ...

''.

Murder

In early 2005, 16-year-old Correa-McMullen moved into her own apartment in

and began dating a gang member ten years her senior. On the evening of October 21, 2005, she was shot to death by gang member Damien Watts. At the time of her death, Correa-McMullen was outside her apartment complex and was trying to run inside for safety. Two other people were also shot in the incident, but survived. She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...

of Los Angeles.''People''
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Aftermath

Damien Watts was charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder on March 1, 2006. On January 23, 2009, he was convicted of Correa-McMullen's murder. Watts was sentenced to five life sentences without parole on February 27, 2009. Watts' accomplice in the shooting spree, Joseph Wayne Jones, was also sentenced to life without parole. In 2007, Tara Correa-McMullen was profiled on the E! documentary series '' Boulevard of Broken Dreams''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Correa-McMullen, Tara 1989 births 2005 deaths 2005 murders in the United States People from Westminster (town), Vermont 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from Vermont American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses People from Venice, Los Angeles Murder in California People murdered in California Deaths by firearm in California Murdered American children Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American actresses