By Lookout Staff
July 29, 2026 -- Santa Monica police took two murder suspects into custody for separate killings that took place this week, with one arrest coming within three hours and the other within two days of the killings.
In the latest incident, police officials credited quick work by SMPD detectives and forensic personnel for the arrest of a suspect less than three hours after the victim was found by officers in an apartment in the Pico Neighborhood Saturday evening, police officials said.
The suspect, Taylor Roger Free, 35, of San Luis Obispo, was arrested by Los Angeles Police Department officers acting on information provided by SMPD after he was located near Crenshaw and Exposition boulevards in Los Angeles.
The murder investigation began shortly after police responded to a call at 5:21 p.m. reporting a woman in need of medical assistance inside an apartment at The Manor, an assisted care housing facility for homeless residents at 1905 Pico Boulevard.
Officers arrived and found an adult female suffering from significant injuries, police officials said. The Fire Department also responded, but after administering life-saving measures, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
"SMPD detectives and forensic personnel immediately began investigating the incident as a homicide," officials said. "As the investigation developed, detectives coordinated with regional law enforcement partners."
Information based on witness statements regarding a possible suspect was shared with the agencies, which included LAPD and the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
After receiving the alert from Santa Monica police, LAPD officers located Free in Los Angeles at approximately 8 p.m. Free was transported to the SMPD Jail and booked for murder. Bail has been set at $2 million.
The other murder arrest took place on Tuesday, July 21, after a 16-year-old male from Las Vegas turned himself in to police, who had identified him as the suspect in the fatal shooting that took place near the Pier shortly after midnight that Sunday.
The preliminary investigation indicated that the shooting stemmed from a physical altercation between two groups, police said. The victim was identified by the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office as 24-year-old Edgar Buitimea who died from multiple gunshot wounds.
"In both investigations, our detectives moved from crime to custody in a matter of hours or days," Councilmember Lana Negrete wrote in her newsletter this week. "That speed is not luck.
"It is the direct result of the staffing, training, and technology we have invested in, and it is why I will keep backing our department without apology."
Police are actively investigating both incidents. Anyone with information should contact the Santa Monica Police Department at 310-458-8491.