Robert Samuels, 40, was found dead in his Northridge, Los Angeles home on December 8, 1988, having been both bludgeoned and shot. At the time, he was in the midst of a contentious divorce from his wife, Mary Ellen Samuels, after about three years of a deteriorating marriage. The investigation concluded Mary Ellen orchestrated his killing to collect $240,000 in life insurance, plus $70,000 from their co-owned Subway sandwich shop and $160,000 from refinancing the house.

Authorities say Mary Ellen recruited her son-in-law James Bernstein to arrange the murder; Bernstein was not the triggerman. Bernstein was later found strangled in June 1989, and prosecutors alleged Mary Ellen paid Paul Edwin Gaul and Darrell Ray Edwards $5,000 to kill him because she feared he would implicate her. The case drew national attention for Mary Ellen’s alleged post-murder spending and for graphic details revealed at trial.

Mary Ellen Samuels, called the Green Widow in coverage, was tried for both killings and in September 1994 was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Does anyone have additional firsthand information about Robert’s life in Northridge or contacts who might remember him?