Anita Fishman Breier, a 31-year-old white female originally from New York, was found murdered in Los Angeles, California, on January 20, 1989. At the time of her death, she was residing in Pasadena and had been struggling with drug addiction and homelessness. Her body was discovered in an alley near the 9800 block of South Figueroa Street in the Vermont Vista neighborhood. She was found behind a wood panel door leaning against a detached garage.
The cause of death was determined to be manual strangulation. The circumstances of her death, including the location and condition of the body, suggested a violent and deliberate act.
Investigators later connected her murder to a series of killings that occurred in the same area over more than a decade. The perpetrator was identified as Chester Dewayne Turner, a convicted serial killer responsible for the deaths of multiple women in Los Angeles between 1987 and 1998. Turner was linked to Anita Fishman Breier's murder through DNA evidence collected from the crime scene. He was ultimately convicted of murdering ten women and one viable fetus and sentenced to death on July 10, 2007.
Turner's victims, including Anita Fishman Breier, were predominantly vulnerable women—many of whom were experiencing homelessness, drug addiction, or mental illness. All were found in high-crime areas of Los Angeles and had been sexually assaulted and strangled. The investigation into Turner's crimes revealed a disturbing pattern of violence, with many of the murders occurring shortly after his release from prison for unrelated offenses.
The case remained unsolved for years until Turner's DNA was entered into California's Combined DNA Index System following a 2002 rape conviction. This led to a match with evidence from multiple unsolved homicides, including that of 31-year-old white female Anita Fishman Breier. Turner's conviction brought closure to several cold cases and highlighted systemic failures in protecting vulnerable populations in Los Angeles during the late 20th century.
