2023-07-03 · unnamed man, 38
2000 block of Sterling Alley near Pomona Avenue
A man was fatally shot. The July 4, 2023 report did not name him. Later identification and disposition need reconciliation.
Read source ↗Explore 27 named Costa Mesa victim records, with 22 in the October 15, 1996–October 15, 2026 research window and five older case histories. Search the records and follow their supporting sources.
This collection connects records from Westside streets, local parks, residential properties and other reported scenes. It includes older investigations that led to arrests or court decisions years after the death. A record’s incident year is kept separate from the year of a prosecution update.
Brandon Wiener and Sierra Soto have individual records for the 1999 preschool attack. The count measures people, not distinct incidents. The Kibuishi record explains why the related killing of Samuel Herr in Los Alamitos is not added to Costa Mesa’s total.
Some records document murder convictions; others document manslaughter pleas, charges or unresolved reporting. The separate Derek Valentine note preserves the later self-defense dismissal. Read the dated status on each card before interpreting an older arrest announcement.
Search the case directory · Check year-by-year coverage · Download Costa Mesa records (CSV) · Research notes
The window is October 15, 1996 through October 15, 2026. These are archive counts. Every year remains unreconciled with a complete police case register. Zero means no named record has been added, not that no homicide occurred. Five older records remain in the searchable directory.
| Year | Records here | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2025 | 2 | Partial research |
| 2024 | 1 | Partial research |
| 2023 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2022 | 1 | Partial research |
| 2021 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2020 | 1 | Partial research |
| 2019 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2018 | 2 | Partial research |
| 2017 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2016 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2015 | 1 | Partial research |
| 2014 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2013 | 1 | Partial research |
| 2012 | 2 | Partial research |
| 2011 | 1 | Partial research |
| 2010 | 1 | Partial research |
| 2009 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2008 | 1 | Partial research |
| 2007 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2006 | 2 | Partial research |
| 2005 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2004 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2003 | 1 | Partial research |
| 2002 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 2001 | 1 | Partial research |
| 2000 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 1999 | 3 | Partial research |
| 1998 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
| 1997 | 1 | Partial research |
| 1996 | 0 | No named record added; not zero homicides |
Download coverage audit · Download all three cities within the window
These two reports need victim-identity matching and duplicate checks. They are excluded from the named directory count.
2000 block of Sterling Alley near Pomona Avenue
A man was fatally shot. The July 4, 2023 report did not name him. Later identification and disposition need reconciliation.
Read source ↗1700 block of Placentia Avenue
A man was fatally stabbed. A June 18, 2024 report describes a murder charge against Israel Antonio Valencia. The later shooting at a memorial was nonfatal and is not another homicide record.
Read source ↗These are excluded from the city’s main count because of jurisdiction or a later self-defense finding.
County jurisdiction; excluded from city count
300 block of 22nd Street, unincorporated Costa Mesa
The Sheriff’s Department identifies the scene as unincorporated Costa Mesa. Its December 2022 cold-case appeal concerns the stabbing of the 61-year-old. This record remains separate from incorporated-city totals.
Read source ↗Self-defense; murder charges dismissed
Costa Mesa residence
Prosecutors sought dismissal on February 10, 2020, after determining that the accused acted in lawful self-defense. This death is documented here for research continuity but excluded from the main criminal-homicide collection.
Read source ↗Search by victim, year, street or incident type. Discovery dates are labeled. Written locations are supported by reporting; exact map coordinates have not been verified.
October 14, 2025 report: homicide arrest; cause of death and subsequent charging outcome not established.
MyNewsLA / City News Service source ↗June 2025: Oscar Saldivar arrested; later court disposition not verified.
Orange County Tribune source ↗October 2024: Daniel Allen Aldrich charged with murder; later disposition not verified.
ABC7 source ↗ People source ↗May 9, 2023: first-degree murder conviction reported.
New Santa Ana source ↗May 15, 2025: Richard David Lavalle convicted of second-degree murder.
New Santa Ana source ↗July 2021: Daniel Correa pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
KFI / City News Service source ↗September 6, 2022: Jasper Bear Belknap pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter; 14-year sentence package.
Patch / City News Service source ↗August 14, 2020: John Ramon Breceda sentenced to 35 years to life.
MyNewsLA / City News Service source ↗2013: Christopher Ernest Leovy arrested on suspicion of murder; later disposition not verified.
OC Weekly source ↗ City of Costa Mesa source ↗2014: reward and unsolved-case appeal reported; later resolution not verified.
OC Weekly source ↗November 9, 2016: Thomas Michael Wilhelm convicted of first-degree murder.
New Santa Ana — OCDA release source ↗August 2, 2013: Adam Randy Baker sentenced to 18 years and eight months to life.
New Santa Ana — OCDA release source ↗September 23, 2016: Daniel Wozniak sentenced to death.
Orange County District Attorney source ↗ Orange County District Attorney source ↗2010: voluntary manslaughter plea; 16-year sentence.
Daily Pilot source ↗2008: Joshua Anthony Blount sentenced to life without parole.
Orange County District Attorney source ↗July 2024: Pedro Gallegos-Garcia extradited from Mexico to face murder charges.
Orange County District Attorney source ↗July 8, 2026 report: Ismael Rosolio Martinez arrested in the 2003 murder case; no verdict established.
MyNewsLA / City News Service source ↗September 18, 2009: Victor Manuel Garcia sentenced to 25 years to life.
Orange County District Attorney source ↗Later disposition not verified.
Los Angeles Times source ↗2000: Steven Allen Abrams convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
Wikipedia — linked historical reporting source ↗2000: Steven Allen Abrams convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
Wikipedia — linked historical reporting source ↗2017: police identified a suspect; subsequent arrest or court disposition not verified.
City of Costa Mesa source ↗April 10, 2012: four defendants convicted of murder and conspiracy.
Orange County District Attorney source ↗March 2012: Jason Balcom convicted; February 2013: jury recommended death penalty.
Orange County District Attorney source ↗June 5, 2017: California Supreme Court affirmed Gerald Parker’s judgment.
California Supreme Court via Justia source ↗June 5, 2017: California Supreme Court affirmed Gerald Parker’s judgment.
California Supreme Court via Justia source ↗June 5, 2017: California Supreme Court affirmed Gerald Parker’s judgment.
California Supreme Court via Justia source ↗Browse the years represented in the current directory. These are counts of records documented on this site, not official annual Costa Mesa homicide totals.
A murder charge is an allegation, not a conviction. Some included homicides resulted in voluntary manslaughter pleas. Older verdicts and sentences are recorded as historical outcomes; later appeals or resentencing may not be represented. The Yu Wang record concerns a reported homicide investigation whose final cause and charging outcome were not established in the reviewed report.
Records are checked against official material and established reporting. Dates of discovery are distinguished from dates of attack. A source’s reported arrest or verdict is dated; no later outcome is assumed. Precise coordinates are left unset when the location is uncertain.
No. The 27 named records are an incomplete archive across multiple decades. Unnamed reports, gaps and related cases are labeled separately.
Exact coordinates have not been verified. Written locations and sources remain available.
Yes. Five records predate the 30-year window. The year-by-year audit counts only records within that window.
No. A residence, arrest location or freeway name can differ from the killing scene. The Schwalbe case is separately labeled as unincorporated county territory.