Barbara Colby, 36, was shot dead on July 24, 1975, in Palms, Los Angeles. She and fellow actor James Kiernan were walking to their car after an acting class when two unidentified men opened fire in the parking area. Colby was killed instantly; Kiernan was gravely wounded, later told police the attack was unprovoked and that he did not recognize the shooters, and then died of his injuries.

Investigators found no clear motive and no arrests were announced. Witness interviews and a crime-scene examination did not yield enough to identify the perpetrators, and the case later went cold. The attack has been described as random and brutal, and theories have circulated but none have been supported by concrete evidence.