Edgardo Kramer, a 29-year-old Peruvian airline employee, was shot dead on January 3, 1978, in Inglewood, California. Kramer and a colleague, Guillermo Bulnes, had driven to the Holly Aire Motel to visit a woman named Chris when Lavell Frierson, who was on parole for a prior murder, forced both men into their car at gunpoint, robbed them of wallets and watches, and shot them execution-style. Bulnes survived and later identified Frierson as the attacker.

Frierson was convicted for Kramer’s murder, but his case went through multiple trials and appeals. His initial 1978 conviction and death sentence were overturned in 1979 for inadequate legal representation. A second conviction also saw the death penalty overturned because a diminished capacity defense had not been presented. A 1986 prosecution again produced a conviction and death sentence; that sentence was later reversed in 2006 by the Ninth Circuit for ineffective assistance of counsel during the penalty phase. Courts ultimately upheld the conviction for Kramer’s murder, and the death penalty was commuted to life in prison.

Does anyone have additional details about Kramer’s life in Peru or witnesses from that night who can add context to what happened at the Holly Aire Motel?