Sylmar House Ammo Fire Investigated by LAPD as a Possible Murder-Suicide

Sylmar House Ammo Fire Investigated by LAPD as a Possible Murder-Suicide

Article Credit - San Fernando Sun/el Sol

by Semantha Raquel Norris, San Fernando Valley Sun/el SolDecember 6, 2023

In the early morning on Sunday, Dec. 3, two adults were found dead after a roaring fire fueled by ammunition burned three structures at 13755 Glenoaks Blvd. in Sylmar.

The property stands out amongst the surrounding homes with neatly trimmed yards and holiday decorations. The roughly two-acre lot stretches between Glenoaks Boulevard and De Garmo Avenue. It’s secluded behind large black metal gates and overgrown plants, preventing any visibility of the home from the street. A large security camera rests above the main entrance. Police tape is still up and visible bullet holes have pierced through the main iron gate located on Glenoaks.

On Monday, Dec. 3, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner identified the woman as Phyllis Ann Patterson, 68, a resident of the home. The report states her death was a homicide from blunt traumatic injuries. 

The male is yet to be publicly identified by officials, but media reports identified the deceased male as Patterson’s 55-year-old nephew Richard Yapelli Jr. The coroner’s report states his death to be a suicide from a gunshot to the head.

Yapelli is reported to have had a checkered past and was a former leader of Fight for Freedom (FFF), a punk band that evolved into a street gang that was active in the 1980s. They were known to spout neo-Nazi rhetoric targeting members of Black, Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities.

LAPD Lieutenant Guy Golan said they found paintings and memorabilia inside the home following the fire that suggest “he [Yapelli] probably either had a lot of reverence for the Nazi movement or was involved in some sort of white supremacy himself.”

Firefighters discovered Patterson’s body in the swimming pool and the deceased man and a dog in the rubble of the fire. 

Mary Villegas, who has lived in the Sylmar neighborhood since 1995, said she has never seen anything like this.

“The fire was huge,” said Villegas. “It was scary.”

When nearby resident Oscar Carillo first smelled smoke, he thought there might be another wildfire like the Sayre Fire of 2008 that destroyed 489 homes in the area. But when he heard the pops like fireworks, he knew something different was taking place. 

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded quickly to the first of several calls reporting the blaze at 4:42 a.m. As they responded the Los Angeles Police Department received multiple calls reporting gunshots being heard in the vicinity. 

“Initially I heard three shots,” said Villegas’ daughter. “Then I heard more, but it was more like, ‘pow, pow, pow, pow, pow.’”

Firefighters initially prepared for an offensive attack on the fire, but upon hearing sounds similar to rapid gunshots coming from inside the property, they switched to a defensive approach, focused on preventing the spread of the inferno. 

LAPD and LAFD officials said multiple firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition were discovered in the burnt premises. 

A firefighter from Station 91, who was first on the scene, posted on the neighborhood communication app Nextdoor that he believes first responders were intentionally being shot at by someone inside the property. However, this could be a result of ammo being set off in multiple directions.

After just over an hour of a billowing inferno, plumes of smoke and a cacophony of gunfire, firefighters got control of the blaze, preventing it from spreading to neighboring properties. 

According to neighbors, Patterson was active on the online app Nextdoor and was involved in the community. Around six months ago, she posted that she received an anonymous death threat for her commentary on the Hubbard Street property that was illegally housing a makeshift RV park. 

In the wake of Patterson’s death, Kurt Cabrera-Miller, president of the Sylmar Neighborhood Council, wrote on the app that she was, “A devoted ‘Sylmarian’ helping anyone and everyone. She would bring meals to individuals in need, and supply carloads of toys to local toy drives. … Thank you for all that you have done for Sylmar. You will be missed.”

If you have any helpful information regarding this incident, call 1-877-527-3247. If you wish to leave an anonymous tip, call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.