Glen Lee Brittner was 59 years old when he died on Friday, August 28, 2015, ten days after he was attacked in his home in Llano, in the Antelope Valley. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma in the 26200 block of East Avenue W-8. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department case.
Brittner was a widower who lived alone and used a wheelchair. He owned Domestic Water Delivery, a business he took over from his father and ran for more than 30 years, pumping water from a well on his property for customers. On Tuesday, August 18, after he did not show up for work, an employee went looking for him and found him at home, unconscious, his hands and feet bound with zip ties. The home had been ransacked. He was airlifted to Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster and never regained consciousness. Sheriff's Det. Robert Kenney said the blow to his head "did significant damage."
Brittner was last seen about 10 p.m. the night before. There was no sign of forced entry. Power tools, televisions, a coin collection and $2,000 in cash kept in a safe were stolen, and detectives said they believed at least two people were involved. In November 2016, the Sheriff's Department announced a $20,000 reward. Capt. Steve Katz said Brittner's generosity may have led to his death. "I think someone took advantage of his trust," Katz said.
His family described a man who let customers work off what they owed, enjoyed camping and motorcycles, and loved being a grandfather. A graduate of the University of Southern California, he had lost his wife to heart failure, and in 2011 he appeared on the television show "Hoarders" after amassing thousands of rats. "Learning that my dad was attacked in his home shattered our family," his son Derek Brittner said. In 2018, his son George and his brother Gary made another public appeal. "Justice is screaming for closure to this evil deed," Gary Brittner said.
Llano is a small, rural, unincorporated community in the Antelope Valley, about 20 miles east of Palmdale along Pearblossom Highway. Homes sit on large, open lots in the high desert, often far apart, and neighbors may live some distance from one another.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Glen Lee Brittner could be found in news archives or public records. More than ten years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who visited Brittner's property, bought water from him, or noticed a vehicle on East Avenue W-8 in Llano on the night of August 17, 2015, may hold information that could help detectives. Someone may also have tried to sell power tools, televisions or coins soon afterward. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
