Jennifer San Marco

Mass Murderer

Jennifer San Marco and the 2006 Goleta Postal Facility Murders

Overview

Jennifer San Marco was a 44-year-old former United States Postal Service employee who murdered seven people during a carefully prepared shooting rampage in Santa Barbara County, California. On January 30, 2006, she killed a former neighbor in Santa Barbara before traveling to the postal processing facility where she had once worked in nearby Goleta. She murdered six postal employees at the facility and then died by suicide. The attacks occurred at two locations and unfolded over several hours. The first killing was committed at San Marco's former condominium complex in Santa Barbara. The remaining murders occurred at the Santa Barbara Processing and Distribution Center, a large and normally secured postal facility at 400 Storke Road in Goleta. San Marco used a 9mm Smith & Wesson Model 915 semiautomatic pistol.

Background of Jennifer San Marco

Jennifer San Marco was born on December 6, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York. She attended Edward R. Murrow High School, Brooklyn College and Rutgers University, although she did not complete a degree at Rutgers. She moved to California and held several government-related positions, including a brief job as a correctional officer and employment as a dispatcher for the Santa Barbara Police Department. San Marco later became a mail-processing clerk at the Goleta postal facility. Her behavior at work reportedly became increasingly erratic. Police removed her from the facility during an incident in 2001, after which she was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold. She eventually returned to postal employment but was again removed from the workplace following another serious disturbance. By 2003, she was no longer regularly working at the facility and was receiving psychological disability benefits. San Marco moved to Grants, New Mexico, during 2004. People who encountered her there described episodes of unusual and disturbing behavior, including talking to unseen individuals, shouting in public and making paranoid or racially offensive statements. She attempted to obtain a business license for a publication she called The Racist Press, but the application was rejected. Despite these incidents, she was not legally prohibited from purchasing a firearm.

Preparation for the Attack

Before returning to California, San Marco purchased a used Smith & Wesson pistol and ammunition from pawn shops in New Mexico. She passed the required background check. Investigators later determined that she had also cut her hair extremely short, leaving her appearance noticeably different from the way former coworkers remembered her. Authorities found extensive writings among her belongings after the murders. These documents contained paranoid allegations involving former coworkers, government agencies, religious groups and imagined conspiracies. A diary reportedly recorded numerous perceived insults and grievances. Investigators believed that resentment toward the Postal Service, severe paranoia and possible racial hostility may all have influenced her actions, although no single definitive motive was established. ...

Confirmed Victims: (7)

Ze Vang Fairchild 37 yr old Female

Goleta postal facility shootings