Murders of Claudia Maupin and Oliver Northup

On the night of April 13–14, 2013, Claudia Maupin, 76, and her husband Oliver "Chip" Northup Jr., 87, were killed in their home in Davis, California. Northup was a prominent local attorney, former Woodland School Board member, and City Attorney for Woodland, Winters, and Yolo; Maupin was a pastoral associate at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis, where the couple had met. They married in 1996 and had a combined family of 11 children, 14 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

The couple was discovered dead the following evening after they failed to appear at church or a scheduled musical gig. A relative found a rear window with its screen slashed, and police discovered the bodies after seeing bloodstains through the bedroom window. Investigators, including FBI agents, found no DNA, fingerprints, or footprints at the scene, as the perpetrator had taken extensive precautions.

The case remained unsolved for two months until 15-year-old Daniel William Marsh was arrested on June 17, 2013, after he had repeatedly bragged to friends and his girlfriend about committing the killings. During a lengthy police interrogation by Davis detective Ariel Pineda and FBI special agent Chris Campion, Marsh confessed. He described breaking into the couple's home through a window, watching them sleep, and then stabbing both victims to death — inflicting 74 wounds on Maupin (67 stab wounds) and 65 wounds on Northup (61 stab wounds) — before mutilating and eviscerating their bodies. Marsh told investigators the killings gave him a feeling of "pure happiness."

Marsh had a documented history of homicidal fantasies dating to age 10, violent behavior, animal cruelty, and serious mental health treatment, including hospitalization. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special enhancements including torture and lying in wait. He initially pleaded not guilty, then changed his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity. Following a five-week trial, a jury convicted Marsh on both counts on September 26, 2014, and found him legally sane on September 30, 2014. Yolo Superior Court Judge David Reed sentenced Marsh to the maximum available term of 52 years to life, since his juvenile status made him ineligible for the death penalty or life without parole.

Subsequent California legal changes — including Senate Bill 260 (2013), Proposition 57 (2016), and Senate Bill 1391 (2018) — triggered years of appeals over whether Marsh's case should be transferred to the juvenile justice system. In 2018, his conviction was conditionally reversed pending a transfer hearing; Judge Samuel McAdam ultimately ruled to keep Marsh in the adult system, citing testimony that Marsh scored 35.8 out of 40 on the Psychopathy Checklist. Marsh's subsequent appeals arguing that SB 1391 should apply retroactively were dismissed by the Third District Court of Appeal in September 2021. Marsh remains incarcerated at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility and is listed as eligible for parole in December 2036.