On December 1, 1988, Armando Enrique Torres, an 18‑year‑old Hispanic male security guard of Mexican descent, was shot and killed at the main entrance of Universal Studios in Universal City, California. At approximately 5:45 p.m., he and his fellow guard, 27‑year‑old Jeren Beeks, were stationed at the gate when a disturbed man approached requesting to use their phone to contact actor Michael Landon. When denied, the man opened fire, shooting both guards in the head. Armando Enrique Torres was killed instantly. Jeren Beeks later succumbed to his wounds in the hospital.
The shooter was identified as Nathan Nicholas Trupp, a 42‑year‑old white male with a long history of severe mental illness and delusions. He believed Michael Landon was a Nazi and had made a “mission from God” to kill him. The murder of Armando Enrique Torres was part of a broader violent spree that also included three killings in Albuquerque, New Mexico, just days earlier.
Trupp was apprehended at the scene immediately after the shootings. He was charged with two counts of murder in California and three additional homicides in New Mexico. Following extensive psychiatric evaluations, Trupp was found not guilty by reason of insanity. As part of a plea agreement in May 1990, he admitted responsibility for all five deaths but was committed to a state mental institution indefinitely rather than sent to prison.
No other suspects were involved; Trupp acted alone. His arrest and legal resolution concluded the investigation. Trupp remains confined under mental health law, and prosecutors acknowledged that a criminal trial conviction would have been unlikely given his established psychosis and insanity plea.
Gregorio Armando Enrique Torres: 18, Hispanic male guard.
Killed: December 1, 1988, by gunshot to the head.
Suspect: Nathan Nicholas Trupp, 42‑year‑old white male, arrested on site.
Legal outcome: Pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, committed indefinitely to a state hospital. No other assailants or arrests were involved.
