Activist Arraigned in Fatal Shooting of Former Boyfriend

Santa Monica tenant-rights activist Dora Ashford was arraigned Tuesday on charges of murdering her former boyfriend, Jeffrey Hintz, 38, who was shot to death last week behind a restaurant.

Witnesses told police that Ashford, 42, of Ocean Park was dining with Hintz last Thursday at Cafe Santa Monica, 2046 Santa Monica Blvd., when they got into a heated argument. Witnesses said they heard shots shortly after the two left the restaurant, and Ashford was seen standing over Hintz’s body.

Police Detective Ray Cooper said witnesses wrote down Ashford’s license plate number, and she was arrested about three hours later at a friend’s house. A gun believed to be the murder weapon and belonging to Ashford has been recovered, Cooper said.

Friends of Ashford said she and Hintz had been seeing each other for about 11 years before ending their relationship in October.

Ashford gained local prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s because of her work on behalf of the Fair Housing for Children Coalition. She filed a lawsuit in 1978 in an attempt to force the Santa Monica Boys’ Club to admit girls. The club gave up its long-term lease on property belonging to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District rather than admit girls.

Santa Monica Mayor James Conn said Ashford almost single-handedly kept the Ocean Park Community Organization alive for nearly two years. The organization is a grass-roots group that works for a wide range of community needs.

Ashford is being held without bail at the Sybil Brand Institute.