FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Case # 18HF1610
November 27, 2018
MAN CHARGED WITH SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES MURDER OF FATHER WHILE WALKING ON TRAIL NEAR THEIR LAGUNA NIGUEL HOME
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged with the special circumstances murder of his father while they walked on a trail near their Laguna Niguel home.
|
Defendant |
Charges |
Minimum Sentence |
Court Date |
|
Maximilian Gregory Ludwig, 18, Laguna Niguel |
Charged on Nov. 27, 2018, with the following:
Sentencing Enhancement
|
Life in state prison without the possibility of parole |
Arraignment Nov. 27, 2018, time to be determined Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana |
Circumstances of the Case
- On Nov. 23, 2018, at approximately 4:00 p.m., Maximilian Ludwig is accused of leading his father, 59-year-old Christopher Ludwig, on a walking trail near Highlands Avenue in Laguna Niguel.
- The defendant is accused of attacking the victim with rocks and stomping on the victim’s head until Christopher Ludwig died as a result of blunt force trauma.
- Maximilian Ludwig called 911 and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) arrested the defendant at the scene. OCSD investigated this case.
Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Troy Pino, Homicide Unit