Angela Polidore, a 25-year-old African American woman, was found dead on July 20, 1986, in Sacramento, California. Her body was discovered partially undressed and tied up, hidden beneath debris at a residence where a local handyman, Morris Solomon Jr., had previously worked. The grim discovery came just weeks after another woman’s body had been found under similar circumstances, raising alarm among investigators about a potential serial offender operating in the area.
Angela
Polidore’s death was one of several that occurred in Sacramento County during a disturbing period between 1986 and 1987. Authorities eventually linked multiple victims—many of whom were young African American women, some involved in sex work—to locations where Solomon had lived or been employed. The pattern of the crimes, including the concealment of bodies in or near homes associated with Solomon, led law enforcement to focus their investigation on him.
Morris Solomon Jr., a Vietnam War veteran and handyman, was arrested in April 1987 after the discovery of several decomposed bodies buried on properties tied to him. He was formally charged with six counts of first-degree murder, including the death of 25-year-old African American woman Angela Polidore. However, the charges related to her case were later dismissed due to insufficient evidence directly linking him to her murder. Despite this, Solomon was ultimately convicted of six other murders and sentenced to death in 1992. He remained on death row at San Quentin State Prison for decades.
Although Angela Polidore’s case did not result in a conviction, her death remains a haunting chapter in the broader investigation into one of Sacramento’s most notorious serial murder cases. Her story is often cited alongside the other victims in discussions of the failures and challenges in prosecuting serial crimes, especially those involving marginalized women.
