MURDERED: Melanie Howell

Summary of MURDERED: Melanie Howell

by Audiochuck

23m•April 23, 2026
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Overview of MURDERED: Melanie Howell

This Crime Junkie / Audiochuck episode recounts the 1976 murder of 22‑year‑old Melanie Howell in Los Angeles, the 1977 murder of 27‑year‑old Elizabeth Wolfe in Davis, California, and how both cases were ultimately linked by fingerprint hits to the same man — Paul Bustamante — decades later. The episode summarizes the crimes, the long cold-case investigations, the breakthrough from updated fingerprint technology, what investigators learned about Bustamante, and remaining unanswered questions and leads.

What happened — short timeline

  • April 23, 1976 — Melanie Howell (22) was found stabbed to death in her apartment near UCLA. She had been packing to move and had stayed at her boyfriend “Dale”’s place for two nights prior.
  • Sometime in 1977 — Elizabeth (Liz) Wolfe (27), a teacher in Davis (near UC Davis), was stabbed to death in her apartment after moving in; she never made it to her first day of work.
  • 1983 — Serial confessor Henry Lee Lucas claimed Wolfe’s murder and was initially believed; later ruled out.
  • 1990 — Davis PD quietly re-evaluated Lucas’s confession and ruled him out.
  • 2011 — California DOJ fingerprint comparison on Wolfe’s case produced a hit for Paul Bustamante.
  • 2014 — LAPD cold‑case detective Martin Moharo re‑ran an old bloody fingerprint from Melanie’s doorknob and got a hit: Paul Bustamante. Bustamante had died in 2006, so prosecution was not possible.

Victim and crime details

  • Melanie Howell (22)

    • Found in her bedroom, fully clothed, wrists bound, 47 stab wounds.
    • No sexual assault reported.
    • Broken glass and defensive wounds indicate a violent struggle; a black attache/briefcase was seen being carried by the suspect as he left.
    • A single bloody fingerprint was recovered from the inside doorknob.
    • Neighbors heard a calm conversation, then a return, struggle, screams, and saw a man leaving carrying the briefcase.

  • Elizabeth Mary Wolfe (27)

    • Moved into a Davis apartment to start a teaching job; murdered after about two days.
    • Stabbed 14 times; attacker took her purse.
    • Fingerprints found on both inside and outside of her front door.

Investigation & evidence

  • Immediate investigation in Melanie’s case produced a composite sketch and the crucial bloody fingerprint, but the case stalled and went cold.
  • Melanie’s boyfriend (Dale) had a verifiable alibi and his prints did not match.
  • Elizabeth’s case was long attributed to Henry Lee Lucas based on his confession; later investigators rejected that confession.
  • Technology and databases updated in the 2000s–2010s allowed both sets of old fingerprint cards/evidence to be compared with state records; both produced matches to the same man: Paul Bustamante.

Breakthrough: identifying the killer

  • Both cases were linked to Paul Bustamante via fingerprint matches (Wolfe in 2011; Howell in 2014).
  • Detective Martin Moharo closed Melanie’s case in 2014 after the hit and notified the family and the original detective (Detective Shepard), but the name was not widely publicized internally or externally at that time.
  • Bustamante had died in 2006; his body was unclaimed and eventually cremated, eliminating the opportunity for DNA comparison or prosecution.

Who was Paul Bustamante?

  • Born 1946 in Los Angeles; records suggest he may have been adopted and raised by an aunt/uncle.
  • Military service: enlisted 1966, served in Germany as a rifleman and radio operator, discharged 1968.
  • Criminal record dating back to 1968 (petty and more serious property crimes: theft, burglary, armed robbery, disorderly conduct, etc.).
  • Married in 1972 to a woman connected to UC Davis (a PhD student who taught inmates and studied criminality); divorced in 1975.
  • Lived intermittently in Northern and Southern California; was in Army reserves out of Sacramento in 1977.
  • Died in 2006.

Link between the murders — why investigators think Bustamante may be a serial offender

  • Striking similarities between both crimes:
    • Victims were young women recently in transition (moving in or out).
    • Attacker gained access by approaching the door; rapid, extremely violent stabbings; no sexual assault.
    • Fingerprints left at entry points in both cases.
    • Witness reports in Melanie’s case of a man carrying a briefcase — possibly to appear nonthreatening (salesman/door‑to‑door persona).
  • Detective Moharo believes Bustamante is likely linked to other unsolved homicides, but lack of DNA and Bustamante’s cremation limit further direct confirmation.

Unanswered questions & investigative leads

  • Why didn’t Detective Moharo widely record or publicize Bustamante’s name in internal files or inform other detectives at the time of closing the case? (Moharo said he didn’t routinely publicize solved cold cases unless directed by leadership and cited protecting the family’s privacy.)
  • Was Bustamante the man seen watching Melanie weeks earlier? Did he stalk other victims?
  • Did Bustamante have a recognizable tattoo (Moharo recalled a possible military tattoo) that could link him to other reports?
  • Are there other unsolved cases in California with similar MO (young woman moving or recently moved, stabbed multiple times, entry via front door, no sexual assault) that could be connected?
  • Were Melanie or Elizabeth seen at volunteer sites, clinics, or VA facilities where Bustamante (a veteran) might have encountered them?

Action items and how the public / investigators can help

  • Investigators: Re-examine cold cases with similar MOs (stabbings in apartments of women who had recently moved), especially in Southern and Northern California, and compare to Bustamante’s fingerprints and any other records available.
  • Public: If you have information on Paul Bustamante (neighbors, coworkers, military buddies, acquaintances), or local cold cases from the 1970s with a similar pattern, contact Crime Junkie: tips@audiochuck.com.
  • The show also asked anyone with connections to Bustamante’s ex-wife or others who knew him to come forward.

Notable quotes

  • Detective Martin Moharo on closing the case: He marked Melanie’s case closed after the fingerprint hit and told family and the prior detective, but said he “doesn’t go out of [his] way to publicize or share details about cases that get solved” unless instructed by the chief.
  • Host reflection: The episode emphasizes the trauma left on survivors and loved ones and the devastating reality that technological limits and administrative choices let a likely serial offender go unexposed for decades.

Sources and further reading

  • Episode / production: Crime Junkie (Audiochuck) — MURDERED: Melanie Howell.
  • Episode materials, notes, and donation information: crimejunkie.com (the show links to source material and mentions a donation to the Elizabeth Mary Wolfe Environmental Learning Center at UC Davis).
  • Tip contact: tips@audiochuck.com

Main takeaway: Two cold-case murders from the mid‑1970s in California were linked decades later to the same man (Paul Bustamante) via fingerprint database hits, but he had already died, leaving many questions and the possibility he may be responsible for additional unsolved homicides. The episode calls for renewed attention to similarly patterned cold cases and for anyone with information to come forward.