Crime & Safety
$15K Reward Renewed For Info On Malibu Park Slayer
A recent report of a rifle-toting burglar in the area prompted an hours-long search in Malibu Creek State Park by deputies and helicopters.
MALIBU, CA – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors renewed a $10,000 reward Tuesday in hopes of tracking down the killer of a father shot to death while camping with his two young daughters in Malibu.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl recommended extending a reward for information in the killing of 35-year-old Tristan Thomas Beaudette, of Irvine, who was shot in the head June 22 while camping with his two 2- and 4-year-old daughters in Malibu Creek State Park.
The reward, set to expire Oct. 15, will now be available for at least another 90 days. Malibu has offered an additional $5,000, for a total of $15,000 in reward money.
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The renewal comes days after an hours-long search of Malibu Canyon south of the campground by sheriff's deputies, bloodhounds and helicopters, prompted by a report of a rifle-toting burglar in the area. Deputies ended the search as night fell Saturday without finding the suspect.
The man, who was suspected in a series of burglaries, including at the Calabasas water treatment plant, has not been linked to Beaudette's shooting, though a connection hasn't been ruled out, according to a sheriff's sergeant.
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Homicide detectives said the motive for Beaudette's slaying wasn't known, but a spate of shootings occurred in the area in 2016 and 2017, including a man hit by birdshot from a shotgun while sleeping and two cars hit by gunfire.
Beaudette, a scientist who worked in the pharmaceuticals industry, was inside a tent when the shot that killed him was fired. His wife was studying for an exam and didn't make the trip.
The campground has remained closed since his death.
No witnesses to Beaudette's shooting have come forward, though detectives believe that someone in the area may have seen or heard something that could help with the investigation. Kuehl asked anyone with information to call sheriff's Detectives Richard Tomlin or Daniel Morris at (323) 890-5500.
City News Service and Patch staffer Emily Holland contributed to this post; Image via Shutterstock
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