MURDERED: Melanie Howell

This episode of Crime Junkie dives into the cold case of Melanie Howell, a 22-year-old med student murdered in her Los Angeles apartment on April 23, 1976. The crime was marked by a mysterious attacker who entered through a kicked-in door, bound Melanie’s wrists, stabbed her 47 times, and fled with a black attache case—leaving behind only a single bloody fingerprint. Despite extensive investigation, the case went cold for decades. In 2014, new fingerprint technology finally linked the print to Paul Bustamante, a man with a long criminal history including armed robbery and burglary. Bustamante, who died in 2006, was also connected to the 1977 murder of 27-year-old teacher Elizabeth Wolfe in Davis, California—killed in nearly identical fashion, with no sexual assault and a similar modus operandi. Investigators believe Bustamante was a serial killer, possibly targeting women in transition—those moving in or out of new homes. The episode reveals how the case remained unsolved for so long due to outdated systems, lack of public disclosure, and the fact that Bustamante’s prints were never run until decades later. The hosts urge listeners to come forward with any information about Bustamante or similar unsolved cases. In honor of the victims, Crime Junkie made a donation to the Elizabeth Mary Wolfe Environmental Learning Center at UC Davis.