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The disappearance of the 21-year-old Northridge resident, Kimberly Pandelios, shook the local community as it turned out to be a murder case a year later. While Pandelios went missing in 1992 while she was on a modeling assignment, skeletal remains found in the Angeles Forest Highway were identified to belong to her a year later.
The murder case turned cold due to a lack of leads till it was reopened in 2003 when new information led to the perpetrator - David Rademaker. The upcoming Lethally Blonde episode, titled A Model Murder, chronicles the brutal murder of Kimberly Pandelios in 1992 as the official synopsis reads:
"An aspiring model, Kimberly Pandelios, accepts an offer to pose in lingerie for a mysterious photographer, then disappears; years later, a young woman contacts the police when she begins to suspect that her boyfriend may have been the killer."
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Episode 6 airs on April 29, 2024, at 10 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery.
From Kimberly Pandelios' disappearance to the conviction of the killer: 5 details about the case
1) Kimberly Pandelios disappeared on February 27, 1992
Kimberly Pandelios, an aspiring model and mother of one, enrolled in California State University, had left her home to meet a man named Paul for a modeling assignment in the Burbank-Glendale area, per the Los Angeles Times. She was reported missing as she failed to return home that evening.
Pandelios' sports car was recovered from an area in the Angeles Forest Highway on February 28, 1992, by an off-duty police officer. The passenger's side of the Chrysler Laser was torched.
2) Kimberly's skeletal remains were found a year later
The Los Angeles Times reported two hikers discovering skeletal remains in the Angeles Forest Highway area on March 3, 1993. The human skull and part of the pelvic bone found were identified to belong to Kimberly Pandelios. Her mandible was discovered on March 14.
The additional evidence collected from the area included a pair of handcuffs and a shredded black bra and panties. The autopsy reports revealed blunt force trauma on the jaw.
3) Kimberly Pandelios' murder case had turned cold
The investigation into Kimberly's murder turned cold due to a lack of leads. The police department suspected Charles Rathburn after Linda Sobek's murder, owing to the similarities in the two murder cases, according to the Los Angeles Times. Rathburn was ruled out eventually.
The case was reopened in 2003 by Sgt. Mike Robinson and substantial evidence turned them to David Rademaker, a convicted s*x offender, who had been recently out on parole.
4) Witness statements led to the conviction of David Rademaker
The authorities stumbled upon the statement by Rademaker's 15-year-old ex-girlfriend, Manya Ksendzov. Her parents had pressed charges against Rademaker and he was sentenced to 12 years for statutory r*pe and drug charges.
According to Los Angeles Daily News, Ksendzov mentioned Rademaker bragging about r*ping and murdering Pandelios by drowning her in a forest stream. He additionally used the incident as a threat to prevent Ksendzov from ending their relationship.
Another girlfriend, Cynthia Haddon, testified to having accompanied Rademaker to torch the Chrysler Laser which he alleged he had found by the side of a two-way lane. David Rademaker was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
5) Pandelios had reportedly met Rademaker who used Paul as an alias
Kimberly Pandelios had responded to a model-wanted advertisement put up by David Rademaker who had been using the alias of Paul. Investigations revealed that Rademaker offered a prostitution service and had a phone s*x line during that time.
Paul was allegedly scheduled to shoot Pandelios in lingerie in the Angeles National Forest. Nicholas' babysitter, additionally, testified to having Paul call their number twice the day Kimberly had disappeared - once to confirm the appointment and the second time to inform that she had left her planner behind.
Catch A Model Murder on April 29, 2024, on Investigation Discovery.
