Double Murder — Suicide Gown Stuns Court

A California murder suspect was hauled into court in a suicide‑prevention gown after a deadly apartment shooting and a two‑hour freeway chase that has shocked a community already weary of rising violence.

Story Snapshot

Prosecutors charged 48-year-old Pomona man Robert Galtman with two counts of murder and one count of evading police after his ex-girlfriend and her neighbor were shot dead in their apartment building hallway.
The victims, 24-year-old former pro skateboarder Veronica Lopez and 48-year-old Richard Brady, were found fatally shot before Galtman allegedly fled, sparking a multi-county high-speed chase caught on video.
Galtman now faces a special “multiple murder” allegation that could bring the death penalty, and a judge has revoked his bail, ordering him held behind bars as the case moves forward.
Lopez’s family says she was trapped in an abusive relationship, highlighting how repeat violence can turn deadly when the system fails to stop it in time.

Deadly Hallway Shooting Claims Pro Skater and Neighbor

Police in Pomona, California, answered a shots-fired call at an East Monterey Avenue apartment building on a Thursday afternoon and found a nightmare in the hallway. Officers discovered Veronica Lopez, a 24-year-old former professional skateboarder, and her neighbor Richard Brady, 48, both shot and dying on the floor. They were pronounced dead at the scene. County medical examiner records later confirmed their identities and the hallway location of the killings. What had been a normal workday turned into a double homicide scene, shattering a family and a neighborhood.

Investigators quickly focused on Lopez’s former boyfriend, 48-year-old Pomona resident Robert Galtman, as the suspected gunman. Family members told local reporters Lopez had been in an abusive relationship with Galtman, adding a painful domestic violence layer to the case. Police identified his black Kia sedan and broadcast alerts to other agencies as they worked to seal the area and search for the suspect. For many readers, this sounds far too familiar: a young woman cries out about abuse, and the danger still escalates into deadly violence before anything truly stops it.

Two-Hour Freeway Pursuit Ends with Violent Arrest

Shortly after the bodies were found, California Highway Patrol officers located Galtman’s car using license plate reader cameras and aerial support on the Golden State Freeway north of Los Angeles. When officers tried to pull him over, he refused to stop, launching a nearly two-hour, multi-county chase that ran through Los Angeles and Kern counties and into the Antelope Valley. Video showed the pursuit at freeway speeds as officers deployed spike strips and, at roughly 30 miles per hour, used a pursuit intervention technique to spin the car to a stop near Lancaster.

Footage from the arrest shows Galtman stepping out of the disabled vehicle with his hands up, his pants around his legs, backing toward officers as they took him into custody at gunpoint. Officers even rescued a small puppy from the car, carrying it away from the tense scene. After the arrest, California Highway Patrol transferred Galtman to Pomona police, who booked him on suspicion of double murder and felony evading. For law-abiding citizens who respect police, the swift, coordinated response is a reminder that when violent crime erupts, thin blue line officers still run toward danger.

Courtroom Drama: Suicide Gown, No Bail, and Possible Death Penalty

By June 23, court records in Los Angeles County showed prosecutors had filed formal charges: two counts of murder and one count of evading police against Galtman. The filing included a special circumstance for multiple murders, a legal step that opens the door for a possible death sentence if prosecutors decide to seek capital punishment. The complaint also alleges Galtman personally used a firearm causing great bodily injury, underscoring how direct gun violence turned a domestic dispute into a deadly crime scene.

When Galtman appeared in Pomona court, reporters say he was wearing a suicide-prevention gown, the type issued in jail when officials fear a defendant may harm himself. A judge revoked his bail, ordering that he remain behind bars as the murder case moves forward, and postponed his arraignment to July 21. Jail records now show him held on over $3 million bail, effectively keeping him off the street while prosecutors build their case. In an era when soft-on-crime policies too often put dangerous people back into neighborhoods, many residents will see this firm stance as a needed step to protect the public.

Circumstantial Evidence and the Push for Accountability

Like many domestic violence homicides in California, the case against Galtman leans heavily on circumstantial evidence rather than a clear eyewitness to the shooting itself. Prosecutors point to the known abusive relationship, the immediate flight from the scene, the long police chase, and his arrest tied to the same time and place as the killings. Under state jury rules, such circumstantial evidence can be enough for conviction if it points to guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and no other reasonable conclusion fits the facts.

Legal guides explain that circumstantial proof—like seeing a suspect run from a murder scene with a weapon—can carry the same weight as direct testimony in court. Defense lawyers often try to offer another “innocent” explanation for those facts to raise doubt. But if jurors believe the only reasonable story is that the defendant committed the crime, state law allows conviction, even without a witness who saw the trigger pulled. For citizens who value law and order, that standard aims to balance due process with real accountability when private violence spills into public tragedy.