Altadena dad pleads for tips in unsolved murder of his son

An Altadena father asked for the public’s help Thursday as his son’s 2023 murder remains unsolved.

Daniel Ursitti was shot and killed at their Altadena home in March 2023 after the 27-year-old advertised online about psychedelic mushrooms.

Detectives said Ursitti and his girlfriend were sleeping in the bedroom when they were woken up by four men. The group demanded that Ursitti “the stuff.” And before he could act, a male suspect shot him, officials from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

“We ask for your help,” Richard Ursitti, the victims’ father said. “If you know anything at all, we ask that you please come forward and help bring justice to this tragic loss that we’ve been dealing with.”

The family’s Altadena home was destroyed in the 2025 Eaton Fire.

Deputies who responded to a call about burglary and a shooting went to Ursitti’s home and found the man. The victim was taken to a hospital but he was pronounced dead.

The sheriff’s department released new images from a security camera that shows a suspect in a gray hoodie. The video showed all four suspects before the shooting, the department said.

The suspects ran away in a car that looks similar to a white, second-generation 2015-2020 Chevrolet Colorado pick up truck.

Anyone with information about the shooting was urged to call the Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or lacrimestoppers.org.