Melvin Thompson, 49, was murdered in Los Angeles on June 14, 1990. He owned Kayser Service, an auto repair shop in Santa Monica. According to reports, he was closing the shop that evening when he was shot in the bathroom. Cash and a Rolex watch were taken, and the killing was first thought to be a robbery.

Investigators later charged Melvin’s wife, Catherine Thompson, with conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder, alleging she arranged the killing to collect a $400,000 life insurance policy because she was in severe debt. Phillip Conrad Sanders was accused of carrying out the shooting; his wife Carolyn and her son Robert Lewis Jones were also arrested in connection with the plot. During the trial, evidence was presented that Catherine had forged Melvin’s signature on financial documents.

The jury convicted Catherine of conspiracy and first-degree murder and imposed the death penalty. Does anyone have additional details about Melvin’s life, the shop, or contacts who might remember him?