Sounak Sengupta
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Murder by Numbers: Rampage’ chronicles how three homicides took place within a 25-mile radius in California from late August to early September 2004. Scott Fisher, Clayton McCobb, and Kareem Radwan were murdered in cold blood by the same perpetrators, and the police caught the killers based on old-school police work and informants coming forward with critical information.
How Did Scott Fisher, Clayton McCobb, and Kareem Radwan Die?
Scott B. Fisher was born to Joan Grdjan and John Grdjan in Upland in San Bernardino County, California, on February 9, 1962. After graduating from Upland High School, he joined California Conservation Corporation and became a Journeyman Carpenter. He was a member of the Teamsters Union and The Rock Church. In August 2004, Scott had recently divorced his former wife, Margi Warwick, with whom he had two children. Scott’s daughter, Shannon Fisher, stated her father had lately bought an apartment in San Bernardino.
Hence, it was shocking when the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call on August 25, 2004, reporting Scott’s murder. He was found in a back bedroom of his residence with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and face area. The positioning of the body and the brutality of the crime scene indicated it was an unprovoked and cold-blooded murder. The investigators also noted no break-in or evidence of a struggle inside the residence, implying Scott might have known his killer.
Clayton Lance McCobb was born to Margaret McCobb and the late Carleton Leroy McCobb Jr. in Reno in Washoe County, Nevada, on March 16, 1960. Growing up in Poway and graduating from Poway High School in 1978, he had been residing in Ramona for more than a decade with his wife of 20 years, Eve McCobb, in 2004. He enjoyed cooking, sky diving, white water rafting, watching football, and spending time with his family and friends. He was the father of two daughters and was employed as a handyman in Cut-N-Core Construction in San Diego.
On September 8, 2004, the Beaumont Police Department found Clayton’s body after getting tips from passing truck drivers that they saw what possibly could have been a body on Interstate 10 at Oak Valley Road. According to police reports, he had been shot thrice and could find no wallet or any other type of identification on him. He was identified using a bible found by the body, bearing the name Clayton McCobb. His wife, Eve, came to the station later in the day to file a missing person report and was told about her husband’s murder.
Redlands Police Department citizen volunteers patrolling Pioneer Avenue found the body of Kareem Mohammad Radwan, 26, of Loma Linda, on September 10, 2004, around 8:30 pm. It was lying in an orange grove about a mile-and-a-half from the intersection. He had a gunshot wound to the head and no form of identification. However, his girlfriend identified the body after calling 911 to file a missing person report. The police found evidence of a struggle at the scene and two pairs of shoe prints belonging to the perpetrators.
Kareem had recently graduated from the University of Redlands and was a respected community member with a bright future ahead of him. He was last seen driving his friend’s Mercedes. According to court documents, he had been carrying $250 to $300 in cash, including two $100 bills, various credit cards, and two checks made out to him. His keychain contained Mercedes keys and a mini-Leatherman tool. Like the above two homicides, Kareem’s car was also reported missing from the scene.
Who Killed Scott Fisher, Clayton McCobb, and Kareem Radwan Die?
The police interviewed Tracy Brown and Kathy Johnson, the pair of women who found Scott’s body and called 911. As per the show, Kathy informed the police she was an ex-girlfriend of the victim but had broken up recently. She also told the officers Scott’s car was missing from its assigned spot. The police found the missing green Camry at an intersection near Baseline and Boulder via an anonymous tip. The car was in good condition, but the stereo was stolen. The police retrieved DNA from the gear shift and steering wheel.
The investigators also connected the three murders with a criminologist determining the same .38-caliber gun was used in all of them. They confirmed their theory when they found surveillance footage of two individuals – one man and a woman – using Clayton’s credit card to buy items at an outlet mall. The same woman was seen with another person as they used Kareem’s credit card at a 7-Eleven store in San Bernardino and a Wal-Mart in Victorville.
The investigators found a breakthrough when a witness, Karen Gibson, came to the authorities with crucial information regarding the murders. According to court documents, she was asked by one of her friends in a drugstore parking lot to find his cell phone, which he had dropped near a 7-Eleven store. She alleged the friend had asked her not to turn it on or answer it because there was incriminating evidence against him. However, she decided to report to the police after she found the cell phone was laced with blood.
The officers determined the mobile belonged to Kareem and asked Karen the name of his friend. They showed her the surveillance footage, and she identified the three individuals – Christopher Richard Lanteigne, his girlfriend, Camille Vredenburg, and his roommate, Christopher Ben Weaver. While Lanteigne and Weaver refused to cooperate with the authorities, Camille confessed to the crimes. She told the officers how she had been the getaway driver in the murders, carjackings, and robberies of Clayton and Kareem.
What Happened to Christopher Lanteigne, Christopher Weaver, and Camille Vredenburg?
Camille claimed she was not present when Scott was slain but knew the reason behind the homicide. As per reports, Scott used to date Lanteigne’s cousin, Kathy, and had allegedly disciplined her daughter. However, Kathy complained about it to Lanteigne, and he and Weaver had a bitter argument over it with Scott. According to Camille, one of them shot Scott before fleeing the scene with his car. According to police reports, Clayton and Kareem were, unfortunately, in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Camille was allowed a plea bargain owing to her cooperation with the authorities. She pleaded guilty to 2 counts of manslaughter and was sentenced to 6 years in November 2008. To avoid the death penalty, Lanteigne and Weaver pleaded guilty to 3 counts of first-degree murder with kidnap, robbery, and multiple murders under special circumstances. They were sentenced to prison for life without the possibility of parole. According to official records, 46-year-old Weaver is serving his sentence at the Pelican Bay State Prison, and Lanteigne, 43, is incarcerated at the California Correctional Institution.
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