Suspect Charged in 1995 Laguna Beach Slaying

Prosecutors have charged a suspect in connection with a murder mystery that has haunted Laguna Beach for nearly seven years: the killing of a Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor owner during a holdup.

The killing was the first during a robbery in Laguna Beach in nearly 30 years and came to symbolize rising crime in the seaside village. On Feb. 20, 1995, a tattooed man fatally shot the store’s popular owner, Simindokht Roshdieh, 52, and wounded her husband, Firooz, 62.

After an investigation that was marked by years of dead-ends and false starts, authorities said Wednesday that they have charged Gilbert Garcia, 29, with the crime.

Authorities revealed little about why they identified Garcia as the suspect. They said crucial evidence was gathered through the district attorney’s gang database, which has information about gang members statewide. The data include physical descriptions, criminal backgrounds and types of crimes committed.

When investigators began looking at Garcia, they discovered he already was serving a 25-year prison sentence for a carjacking in Los Angeles. He also was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in San Bernardino, said district attorney’s spokeswoman Tori Richards.

In Laguna Beach, Garcia is charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of a firearm with a special circumstance of robbery, which makes him eligible for the death penalty, Richards said.

“Hopefully, [this will] bring some closure to this very heinous crime,” said Laguna Beach Police Chief Jim Spreine, who praised detectives for never giving up.

“We don’t have these types of homicides in Laguna Beach, and it frightened our community when it happened,” he said. “It frightened our community to believe that someone would go into an ice cream store and kill an elderly woman over a small amount of money.”

The Roshdiehs had escaped political upheaval in Iran with their two children about 18 years ago and moved to Southern California to rebuild their lives.

Merchants and customers described them as caring members of the community who served their ice cream with a smile and gave free scoops to friends. They often worked 12-hour days, usually seven days a week.

It was 9:30 p.m. when the gunman entered the store. He shot the couple and fled without taking any money. Police later said they believed the gunman had robbed several other stores, including an ice cream shop in Tustin earlier that night.

Firooz Roshdieh suffered an arm injury in the shooting, but continued to run the shop until he sold it two years ago.

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Times staff writer Jack Leonard contributed to this report.