Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
“A Model Murder” is an episode of Lethally Blonde that aired on ID on Monday, April 29, 2024. It delved into the murder of a model, Kimberly Pandelios. The 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.”
The incident took place in February 1992, when Kimberly Pandelios was 21 years old. She lived in Northridge, California, with her husband, Peter, and their 13-month-old son. Pandelios reportedly told Peter that she had a meeting scheduled with Paul, with whom she was supposed to do a photoshoot. On February 27, 1992, she left home for the meeting. It was planned that they would discuss her costumes for the shoot.
Later that morning, Kimberly Pandelios reportedly met Steven Sanchez for a hair appointment at his salon. She left the salon a little after noon. Around that time, Pandelios had called her babysitter to find out if her son was doing fine. She also asked the babysitter to tell Paul that she was on her way in case he called. According to court documents, the babysitter did receive a call from a man who identified himself as Paul. She did as she was told.
However, Kimberly Pandelios did not return home that night, and her husband never heard from her again. At about 8 p.m. on the same day, Paul called to tell the babysitter that Pandelios had left the meeting at 4 p.m. and also left her book there.
How was Kimberly Pandelios’ killer caught?
In March 1993, two hikers in the Angeles National Forest came across a skull, later identified as Kimberly Pandelios’. This was discovered more than a year after her disappearance. A cut-up black bra, panties, and handcuffs were also found at the scene. However, no progress was made in the case for a long time. This was until David Rademaker was turned in by the parents of a 15-year-old girl who accused him of rape and giving her drugs. He spent six years in prison despite a sentence of 12 years at the time.
The young victim, who reportedly held Rademaker responsible for her heroin addiction, told authorities that he bragged about having killed Kimberly Pandelios several times. Although she did tell the police this even during his arrest, Rademaker was charged with the murder much later, The Los Angeles Times reported.
David Rademaker was convicted of first-degree murder with the special circumstance that he had abducted Kimberly Pandelios. According to the information from the trial, David Rademaker pretended to be a stranger named Paul. He then took Pandelios into the Angeles National Forest by lying to her about the photo shoot. While they were in the forest, he allegedly made sexual advances, which Pandelios rejected. This eventually compelled him to murder her.
David Rademaker was sentenced to life in prison.
