General Discussion

The shooting was reported about 6:10 a.m. Monday in the 30700 block of 165th Street East in Llano, an unincorporated community in a remote stretch of the Antelope Valley, according to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. Deputies responding to a 911 call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon found Grillmair on the front porch of his home, suffering from a gunshot wound, authorities said. Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. He was identified Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

“While investigating the shooting call, Palmdale Sheriff’s Station deputies also responded to a carjacking call in the same area,” according to a sheriff’s department statement. Snyder was initially detained and was subsequently arrested.

He was charged Wednesday with murder and carjacking in connection with the killing, along with an allegation of personal and intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury. He was also charged with burglary allegedly committed in late December. Snyder is being held in lieu of $3.175 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned March 26 in Lancaster.

A friend and Caltech colleague of Grillmair’s told the Los Angeles Times that the scientist lived in the desert because the nighttime darkness made for better astronomical observations. He had built his own observatory at his expansive home, according to The Times, which also reported that Grillmair flew airplanes in his spare time.