Carrie Jean Melvin, 30, was shot and killed on July 5, 2015, in Hollywood, Los Angeles. She and her boyfriend were walking near North McCadden Place and Sunset Boulevard when a man approached from behind and shot Carrie with a shotgun. She was pronounced dead at the scene; her boyfriend was unharmed. The shooter fled in a black sedan and there was no immediate evidence of robbery or any prior interaction between the couple and the gunman.

Carrie had moved to Hollywood to pursue an entertainment career and supported herself by waitressing and bartending while running a social media marketing company. Investigators later arrested businessman Ezeoma Chigozie Obioha and charged him with her murder, alleging a financial motive: Carrie had done marketing work for his clothing line and was reportedly owed more than $1,000 after she filed a complaint with state officials about unpaid wages. A shotgun recovered on a Malibu beach the morning after the killing and a distinctive shell were said to match evidence from the scene.