On December 1, 1988, **18‑year‑old Hispanic male security guard Armando Enrique Torres**—who hailed from Los Angeles—and his 27‑year‑old Caucasian colleague Jeren Beeks were stationed unarmed at the main gate of Universal Studios in Universal City, California. That evening, around 5:45 p.m., the two guards were approached by 42‑year‑old Nathan Nicholas Trupp, a white male recently released from psychiatric care who had been riding the studio tour tram and persistently
sought to contact actor Michael Landon, apparently under a delusional belief that Landon was a Nazi.
Trupp initially asked to use the phone inside the guard shack. When the two Hispanic‑American **18‑year‑old Armando Enrique Torres** and his coworker refused—advising he use a public pay phone instead—Trupp briefly walked away but then returned and opened fire. He shot both guards in the head. **Armando Enrique Torres**, age 18 and of Hispanic ethnicity, was critically wounded and transported to St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he died the following day at 4:35 p.m. Jeren Beeks was killed instantly at the scene.
Immediately following the shooting, a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy confronted Trupp, resulting in a brief exchange of gunfire that left Trupp wounded in the chest and right arm. He was then taken into custody and hospitalized.
At the time of the incident, Trupp was already wanted for a previous homicide spree. Two days earlier, on November 29, 1988, he had allegedly murdered three people at a Bagel Lovers shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His violent actions were attributed by Trupp to auditory hallucinations and delusions, including claims of being directed by “God” to commit the murders.
In legal proceedings, Trupp faced a total of five murder charges: three from New Mexico and two from California. In May 1990, he entered a plea of guilty to two counts of murder in California but was found not guilty by reason of insanity. As per the plea agreement, he was committed to a state mental hospital, where prosecutors and the court believed he would likely be confined indefinitely. No other suspects or arrests were made in connection with **Armando Enrique Torres**' death beyond Trupp's detention.
In summary: **Armando Enrique Torres**, an 18‑year‑old Hispanic male security guard, was fatally shot in the head on December 1, 1988, during an attack by mentally ill gunman Nathan Nicholas Trupp. The suspect was wounded, captured on site, charged with murder, and subsequently institutionalized after an insanity plea—no additional arrests or suspects were involved.
