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Martha Kitzler 1967 - 1984

Martha Kitzler of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California was born on May 23, 1967, and died at age 17 years old on May 28, 1984 in Los Angeles. Martha Kitzler was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Martha Kitzler

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California 90004

May 23, 1967

California, United States

May 28, 1984

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States

Female

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Martha Kitzler Martha Kitzler (1967 - 1984)

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Martha Kitzler's History: 1967 - 1984

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Introduction

Martha was the half-sister of Mauricio Silva (their mother's name was Myrna Rodriguez). While Mauricio's father was David Silva (Mexican - their mother was Nicaraguan), Martha's father was Myrna's boss. It is said that Myrna suffered from gigantism and mental problems and that she neglected all of her children, including Mauricio and his younger sister Martha. Silva had just gotten out of jail in May of 1984 after serving 5 years for the manslaughter of a 16 year old boy. Immediately after being released on parole for that offense, he shot and killed Walter Sanders and Monique Hilton. About a week later, he invaded the home of his own half-sister, 17-year-old Martha Kitzler, with whom he had stayed periodically since his parole, and stabbed and strangled her. Convicted of all 3 murders, Mauricio's death sentence for the murders was overturned in May of 2001. You can see Los Angeles Times: Death Penalty Nullified for Killer to read why his death sentence was overturned and what the resolution was.
05/23

1967

Birthday

May 23, 1967

Birthdate

California United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Martha was Caucasian of Hispanic heritage through her maternal line. Her mother was born in Nicaragua.
Nationality & Locations

Marhta was born and raised in California. She died in Los Angeles, California at the age of 17, killed by her half-brother. She is buried in Culver City, California.
Early Life & Education

Martha attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, California.
Personal Life & Family

Martha has been described as "a beautiful, blond girl who dreamed of becoming a model."
05/28

1984

Death

May 28, 1984

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, Los Angeles County, CA
Burial location
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Martha Kitzler lived 57 years shorter than the average family member when died at the age of 17.

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3 Memories, Stories & Photos about Martha

Kathy Pinna

32.7k+ favorites

02/15/2024

Martha Kitzler

1983 yearbook photo of Martha at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, California. The photo was taken for her Sophomore year. Martha's memorial is at Martha Kitzler.

Date & Place: circa 1983 in California United States

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Kathy Pinna

32.7k+ favorites

09/21/2021

Los Angeles Times: Death Penalty Nullified for Killer

The California Supreme Court Monday overturned the death sentence of a Hollywood man who has been awaiting execution for 15 years for killing three teenagers, including his half-sister, in 1984.

Instead of receiving a lethal injection, Mauricio Silva, 43, may now end up spending the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. The district attorney’s office has the option of seeking a retrial of the penalty phase or accepting the life sentence.

The high court did not overturn Silva’s murder conviction, but ruled that the verdict in the death penalty phase of his trial was tainted because a Latino was excluded from the panel.

Before Silva’s 1984 murder rampage, he had served more than five years in prison for the manslaughter shooting of a 16-year-old boy. The month he was released on parole, Silva killed Walter P. Sanders and Monique Michelle Hilton, both 16. The teenage runaways were shot to death in two incidents in Lancaster and Pearblossom.

A little more than a week later, Silva stabbed and strangled his 17-year-old half-sister, Martha Kitzler.

Silva’s initial trial in 1985 on the three murders ended with a deadlocked jury. In his 1986 retrial, the jury found him guilty and recommended that he be sentenced to death.

In appeals, Silva’s defense lawyers said the prosecution, during jury selection, had improperly used peremptory challenges against five Latino prospective jurors.

Superior Court Judge Jean E. Matusinka “erroneously” permitted the prosector to explain his reasons for the challenges in a private conference, wrote Justice Joyce Kennard for the unanimous court.

The Supreme Court examined the prosecution’s challenge of a prospective juror identified only as Jose M.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Lonnie A. Felker said the decision by the high court was based on that exclusion.

“My personal feeling about it is that I did not then or did not now excuse a juror because of race,” Felker said Monday. He said he excused Jose because he seemed “aggressive” and appeared disinclined to impose the death penalty.

“That scared me and so I excused him,” Felker said.

A transcript of the voir dire proceedings did not substantiate the contentions, the court said. When Jose was asked for his opinion of the death penalty he had said, “Well I guess I have an opinion on it. I mean, it’s the most--the hardest--oh, what’s the word I’m looking for--punishment you can give.”

When asked to clarify whether he was for or against the death penalty, Jose replied: “I would say I’m mixed. I would, you know, consider it and I would consider opposition to it.”

He later said he was “possibly slightly for” the death penalty.

By Ana Beatriz Cholo May 1 2001 12am PT (Los Angeles Times staff writer Maura Dolan contributed to this story.)

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