On the night of October 11, 1989, 32-year-old Cathy Paternoster was shot and killed in the driveway of her Spring Valley Lake, California, home. Cathy and her boyfriend, Carl Fuerst, had returned with their children when a masked assailant emerged and opened fire. Cathy was struck multiple times and died at the scene; Carl was also shot but survived. The children, who were in the van, witnessed the attack.

Initial suspicion in the case focused on Eric Fagan, a former lawyer who had been involved with Cathy’s mother, Betty Paternoster, and who reportedly had a history of conflict with the family. The investigation went cold for many years before being reopened; subsequent forensic testing produced a DNA match to material found near the scene that investigators linked to Fagan. In 2009 he was arrested and later tried for Cathy’s murder. The jury returned a guilty verdict in December 2012 and the court imposed a lengthy prison term.

Anyone who knew Cathy, her family, or who has information about the events on October 11, 1989, is asked to come forward.