On November 28, 2023, in a bustling restaurant at L.A. Live, a man executed Sidney Barrett Morris in front of diners. The suspect, identified as a gang member, shot Morris in the head with a pistol. Investigative efforts, including surveillance footage, license plate tracking, and cell data analysis, only provided partial insights into the crime. While detectives speculated that Morris's recent investigations into sexual misconduct within California State University, Northridge's basketball team might offer a motive, subsequent searches yielded no clear explanations, leaving the reason for the murder unclear and alarming for the community.
L.A. Live's security cameras captured what happened next: In front of about 20 diners and employees, he walked up behind a man eating alone at the bar, aimed a pistol with two hands and shot him in the back of the head.
Detectives testified that surveillance footage, license plate readers and an analysis of cellphone and car location data helped solve the case - but only partially.
A review of public records related to Morris, 43, revealed no obvious signs of a life in distress. No rancorous divorces or business disputes, restraining or other indicators that would shed light on his murder.
In search of a motive, detectives got a search warrant for the victim's CSUN email account... His co-workers theorized the investigation had something to do with his homicide.
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