UPDATE: Accused Killer of Astrophysicist Arrested for Trespassing on Scientist’s Property With Loaded Rifle Two Months Before Killing — Newsom-Appointed Judge Dropped Charges
New details have emerged regarding the accused killer of Caltech astrophysicist Carl Grillmair.
As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, 67, was shot in his torso by a gunman who approached him on his porch on February 16.
Authorities have since arrested Freddy Snyder, 29, who has been charged with Grillmair’s murder and is being held on a $3 million bail.
New details obtained by the Los Angeles Times have revealed that Snyder was previously arrested two months earlier for trespassing on Grillmair’s property with a loaded, unregistered rifle.
On Dec. 20, Lt. Michael Modica of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said, the scientist spotted someone possibly trespassing on his property and called law enforcement.
When deputies arrived and found Snyder in the area, Modica said, he was carrying a rifle and explained that he was on his way to the post office.
Grillmair’s home and the local post office are in opposite directions from Snyder’s home, property records show.
According to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, Snyder told deputies he was carrying the rifle just in case he ran into wild animals. But deputies noted that the rifle was loaded and not registered to Snyder, so they took him into custody.
In addition to one felony count of carrying a loaded firearm, the criminal complaint against Snyder charged him with trying to escape from the Palmdale station jail the day after he was arrested.
The New York Post further reported that Judge Osman Abbasi, appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom, dismissed Snyder’s felony gun charges.
Exclusive | Newsom-appointed judge gave suspect in Caltech genius’s slaying a slap on the wrist weeks before bloodbath https://t.co/WoJPp0m7ug pic.twitter.com/IJtk4VU0zR
— California Post (@californiapost) February 24, 2026
After dropping the felony gun charge, Judge Abbasi ordered Snyder to complete a gun safety course, and he was released from jail shortly thereafter.
Snyder was scheduled to appear in court again on February 5 regarding his case, but he did not show up for the hearing.
Despite not appearing, Snyder’s charges were dismissed under California Penal Code 1385, and just 11 days later, he allegedly murdered Grillmair.
Grillmair’s murder has rocked the astrophysicists’ community, considering he was a renowned researcher in the studies of Dark matter, Galactic structure, stellar populations, and exoplanets.
Grillmair was also notable in the community for finding water on a distant planet orbiting a star.
The post UPDATE: Accused Killer of Astrophysicist Arrested for Trespassing on Scientist’s Property With Loaded Rifle Two Months Before Killing — Newsom-Appointed Judge Dropped Charges appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.