Dateline: Unforgettable’s upcoming episode titled “Plot Twist” looks into Sam Herr and Julie Kibuishi’s murders by Daniel Wozniak, an actor from California. The episode will also examine Wozniak’s now-ex-fiancée Rachel Buffet’s role in the double murders. The all-new episode airs on Oxygen this Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET.
According to several sources, in May 2010, Daniel Wozniak shot Army war veteran Sam Herr execution-style before dismembering his body. He then lured Herr’s friend, Julie Kibuishi, to his apartment and fatally shot her in a similar manner. Los Angeles Times reported that the actor committed the murders in an attempt to steal Herr’s money. The killer wanted to pay his rent and also finance his wedding to then-fiancée, Rachel Buffet, with the stolen money.
Wozniak was convicted of capital murder in Herr and Kibuishi’s slayings and received the death penalty. Later, Buffet was also convicted on two counts of being an accessory after-the-fact for lying to law enforcement.
Where is Daniel Wozniak’s ex-fiancée Rachel Buffet now?
Daniel Wozniak’s ex-fiancée, Rachel Buffet, was accused of lying to investigators about the slayings to protect Wozniak. For the same reason, she faced two counts of being an accessory after-the-fact. Her conviction came more than eight years after the murders of Sam Herr and Julie Kibuishi in 2018. She has since been released from prison after serving a months-long sentence.
According to ABC News, in November 2018, a jury found Buffett guilty on both counts, following which she received a 32-month prison term. At her sentencing, she read a statement: “I hope my silence has not been misinterpreted as callous. I wish I could have saved them.…I wish I’d never met Daniel Wozniak.”
Through the statement, Buffet further said, “My heart goes out to the Herr and Kibuishi families. They will always be in my thoughts and prayers.” As per The Cinemaholic, Buffet got credit for 79 days already served and another 79 days on good behavior. The outlet confirmed that Buffett was released from prison in 2019. However, her current whereabouts remain uncertain.
Elsewhere, Daniel Wozniak, who received the death penalty in 2016, is now serving time in the Salinas Valley State Prison, a lower-security prison. He was initially incarcerated in California’s San Quentin State Prison on death row. He was moved after participating in the Condemned Inmate Transfer Pilot Program in 2019. The program allows death row inmates to participate in rehabilitation and work programs to pay restitution.
ABC’s report further mentioned that California Governor Gavin Newsom instituted a moratorium on the death penalty in his state in 2019. This means that more than 700 inmates who were on death row, including Wozniak, at the time are not facing execution at this point.
