Woman, 53, Daughter, 22, Beaten to Death
Arrest made in killings
Man Held in Deaths of Ex-Girlfriend, Mother
Killer of 2 Is Sentenced to the Death Penalty
The People v. Richard Russell Moon
S.C. Upholds Death Sentences for Two in Murders
Inside Death Row
Appeal
Richard Russell Moon – California Death Row
INMATE INFORMATION
Name: MOON, RICHARD RUSSELL
CDCR#: E96800
Age: 46
Admission Date: 05/15/1991
Current Location: San Quentin
San Quentin, CA 94964
(415) 454-1460
Filed under: crime, death penalty, murder, murder in the 20th Century, Psycho for Love | Tagged: 1990, bludgeoned to death, California, conviction, death penalty, homicide, Melitta Greig, Psycho for Love, Richard Russell Moon, Rose Greig, spousal murder |
Bonnie's Blog of Crime 
My brother was Melitta’s boyfriend when she was killed. This was incredibly senseless. My heart continues to break for the loss of these two fine women. There isn’t enough punishment on earth to make up for the hurt this man caused. However, there is some peace in knowing that he won’t get to decide when he dies. He will be at the mercy of the public. I hope people understand the anguish he has brought on her family and friends. He deserves the death penalty. I never used to believe in the death penalty until this happened in our life. It made me realize the hurt and anguish a family feels and the need for closure and for justice.
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but the gut is a really nice guy and made a big mistake and wasnt thinking OK so,Im srry about everything you guys dont understand either when hes ur family u would feel the same if u were in my shoes.i love my uncle very much hes really funny and a human being and my life sucks hes the one person i look to ik he made a big mistake but hes still a good person inside not what u see
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I understand he is your family. I am sorry for your loss because I do understand that it must be hard for you. And you can love and support him. However, you speak as though he went out and stole a pack of gum or sent a mean email. He killed two women in cold blood. Two women who befriended him and cared for him. Two people who were kind and generous to him. This isn’t a mistake, it is Cold Blooded Murder. Normal people don’t make those sorts of mistakes. He is in prison where he belongs. I have no sympathy for someone who takes the life of another human being, especially two wonderful people who were kind and loving to everyone around them. I hope I live long enough to see his execution. He deserves to die. The peace I have now is knowing he has to live with the reality of what he did. I don’t have rage or hate towards Richard, I have no emotion towards him at all. I just pray he is executed while Melita’s father and Rose’s husband is still alive. He deserves justice. Justice won’t come as long as Richard is breathing and above ground.
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I met Richard Moon on a tour of San Quentin in May 2011. I disagree with the sentiment that life in prison is hell enough but the death penalty is murder. When someone on our tour asked if he committed murder, he said “yes.” When asked what he deserved for it, he said “the death penalty.” When asked if he was appealing, he said “yes.” When asked why he was appealing a punishment he felt he deserved, he shrugged his shoulders. In his 21 years in prison, he is a college graduate. He also says that life in the hole is “not that bad, as long as you follow the rules and watch where you go.” Does no sound like punishment to me.
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Thank You Johnny. As my brother says, we have given him 3 hots and a cot for years. I don’t have a college degree because I was a single mother and couldn’t afford to do it. However a man who took two lives gets to receive his degree. Our system makes no sense. He should have been executed a long time ago. Waste
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I know that closure is a myth, unfortunately. But I have been waiting for over 20 years to hear that Richard Moon has been executed. For ten of those years I have been paying taxes. Moon showed no remorse when they arrested him. I’m very happy that 20 years later he feels something. It would have been nice if he had those same human characteristics before he beat my aunt and cousin to death in a scene so grizzly that the judge deemed crime scene photographs too shocking to show to even the jury in the trial…
God can forgive Richard Moon, and I will sit here waiting for his death.
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Brit ur a fuckin idiot maybe it runs in the family he’s a piece of shit and personally I wish the cops wouldn’t have caught him so me and my brother could have beat him to death fuck that little punk ass bitch
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I understand the hurt you feel towards your brother. By you saying that he deserves to die makes you a murderer as well. Being in prison for the rest of his natural life will be HELL on earth. Death is too good. Everyday that he wakes up in San Quentin is torture. Believe me when I say I really do understand your grief and pain. You are in my prayers!
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Kay you don’t understand the hurt that is your problem. I knew Richard Moon very well when he dated Melitta, I played softball with him and went to school with him. Any person who chose to execute two innocent women that way he did, with a HAMMER AND a 2×4, deserves nothing less than to be put to his death. For 18 years I have watched and waited for him to be put to death and yet nothing. The death penalty is a fair and just punishment for such evil deeds. Until you understand this you will never understand the pain that the victims families and friends feel, NEVER
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Kay,
If something like this has never happened to you, you CAN’T understand. Did you read how Cliff says he’s waited 18 yrs?? Have you ever had a loved one taken from you in this manner? I would really like to know.
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I’m sorry you had a loss but so did I but I was not as finally fortunate as you to have the death penalty. so why don’t you look up “heinous acts of crime” aka Richard Ramirez or hill side strangler or bittaker “rich people who own the law make us all weak as you see the death penalty is d funk
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Kay,
I am Tammie’s brother and I was deeply in Love with Melitta. I was also very fortunate to get to know both her Mother and her Father. She was one incredible woman and She had a great family. Cliff is right, You just don’t understand. Taking those two wonderful women from this Earth and his punishment is 3 hots and a cot, internet access for pin pal on my dime? You my Dear are just as sick in the head. Do yourself a favor and pull your head out! Did you even do the slightest bit of research on this?! I looked her Father in the eyes shortly after this unheard of MURDER!!! I went throught questioning as I was a suspect! Until you’ve endured what her family went through or listened enough to the people that this has happened to, I kindly request that you shut up!
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My partner and I arrested Richard Moon for these murders at Union Station in Los Angeles after finding Melitta’s Cabriolet at The Motel 6 in Rowland Heights and stuff Moon stole from Melitta’s house in his room there. Dummy left his ID in the room. He was eating at the Denny’s next door when we swarmed the motel. We got him later that evening. I testified at his trial and the jury gave him death.
Moon was very humble and quiet when he was with me and” sirred” me constantly. Came off as the “boy next door.”
It’s obvious the legal manuevering is not over yet. Last year two women showed up on my front porch wanting to interview me about the arrest. They were from the State Public Defenders office in San Francisco. This was 17 years after Moon’s arrest and 6 years after my retirement from the L.A. Sheriff’s Department. Very weird. My impression was the two Public Defenders thought he was guilty but they were probably anti-death penalty.
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Rose and Melitta are/were my aunt and cousin. I was five when it happened. Thank you Mr. Coker for the fine work you did. Truly thank you. And for those interested, that (i hesitate to say man) deserves to die, deserves to have died a long time ago. I am more sure of this than anything in the world. My family and our taxes keep a man alive who took more from us than you could possibly imagine, a disgusting act like this resonates for many years, and does damage even beyond the heinous event itself. Thank you to the ones with kind words. And lady, I want him dead more than anything . . .
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Sorry for your loss, I just stumbled across this online. I agree with you that he should have been put to death years ago. My parents were great friends of Rosie and Cole.
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here’s a reply for you and our great legal system the killer richard moon will never be executed because he is now off death row after 30 years because his rights mean more than the two innocent women he slaughtered so screw California legal system its a joke
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I stumbled upon this here today &just had to share a few of my own words here on the topic of Richard….
I I first off want to say my hearts go out to all of U who lost your loved ones at the hands of Richard, I know first hand the pain U have endured throughout the years & I’m knowing U still endure, as I too lost my own father to murder,a Murder that was also senseless & heinous.
I however have forgiven the man who did this to my Dad, it was the very moment I forgave this man where I felt something so amazing & uplifting come over me, that sense of long sought after peace within…. I found the pain, the burden & the energy I once exhausted so much of from despising this man, no longer being something I felt was worthy of my energy, my life, nor for that matter healthy for me either. ~ the day I forgave him was the day I felt all that ick lifted off of me, as I then began to turn my negative hateful feelings & emotions into something greater, into something more positive & even more meaningful, & that was what it felt like to forgive, & I mean really & truly forgive. Afterall forgiveness I feel is the attribute of the strong, not of the weak. ~~So I guess what I am getting at here is, that perhaps U should all try & forgive this man, so U no longer have to carry the weight of this burden on your shoulders & on overall life. & besides this incident took place many years ago, even though I realize & understand the pain still at times may feel fresh to U all, BUT trust me if U never allow the pain & grudge like feelings to ever leave your hearts & your heads U will only continue to underservingly torture yourselves. Life is dificult enough without having to hold onto & harbor gulit & anger added to our already high plates full.
After forgiving my own fathers murderer I find great peace begin to fill my heart & life, so much so that I have since reached out to those who feel genuinely bad for their crimes & I write them for continued peace & strength, & guess what it truly has helped me to not only hold onto forgiveness But I have gained tons of priceless wisdom & knowledge & a greater sense of understanding to why some people do what they have & do. I’m not saying what Richard did was right, as it was far from right or in any way justified in any such way, as I agree what he did was truly horrible & outright senseless, but guess what HE AGREES & truly aches everyday that he wakes up & goes to bed & all those minutes in between for his terribly wrong & painful actions. ~~A life spent behind bars is far greater punishment then death row~~ Richard is my friend & I’m proud to share this here. I’m sorry though if my words are hard to read or even not appreciated, BUT I just had to reach out, in hopes that maybe just maybe 1 person here might find my words worth trying out the peace within feeling U can have IF only U decide the torture U are giving yourself is enough already, & U choose to instead –>forgive.
God Bless U all!!!!!!!!!
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The wonders of the internet. I had completely forgotten I posted here 3 years ago. Strange how time moves forward, but on some level it doesn’t.
Anthony, we have often wondered how the Grieg family is doing. My brother loved Melitta so much. And also loved and respected her parents. Please know that we still hold them both in our hearts.
Officer Coker…Thank you from the bottom of my heart. When this happened I was 14. I was so scared because they thought Richard might come after my brother. The night he was eating at Denny’s…I was there and didn’t know he was there. It was such a tremendously scary time. The quick and thorough work your team did was amazing.
As for forgiveness…I think it is commendable that someone could forgive someone for doing something horrible. I also know that on some level I should find a way to forgive him. However, seeing the anguish he caused to a family who took him in and treated him like their own…I choose not to forgive that. I am glad he wakes up every day feeling terrible. Each day he wakes up is another day that Melitta and Rose could have been on this earth.
Don’t get me wrong…life moves forward. My anger for Richard does not hinder my life. It fuels my resolve.
In one act that man left my brother broken hearted, left a man without his wife and only child, left a family without two amazing women, left a church without a volunteer, left friends without the amazing love and support those two offered. The list goes on and on.
Now, almost 19 years later…still no justice. That thing gets to have friends and pen pals. He gets to eat every day. He never has to worry about his next meal or where he is going to live. Where is the justice in that?
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I found this site in a curiosity search. Richard and I were good friends when we worked together 87-88. In fact, we had both bought new vehicles at the same time, and swapped vehicles for a day. I first heard about this murder around 90-91. I was floored when an ex-coworker told me the details. Having been close to someone that was capable of such a heinous act, I think I lost a big part of my naïveté regarding human nature. I was stunned for several weeks, going over the details, wondering what set him off; wondering if things may have turned out different if we kept our friendship. I finally came to the realization that I did not share any of the responsibility of what he did. These crimes affect not only those close to the victims’ family, but also those who knew Richard personally. I know and understand that the families of the victims still mourn their loss. But I want to say that I also mourn the loss of my friend that same fateful day.
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Rose and Melitta were also my aunt and cousin.
I am still torn on the subject of the life or being put to dealth but I do know that whenever a motion is filed, such as was done by Richard Moon and his team a few years ago – my Uncle Bob has to re-live every moment of the morning he found his wife and only child by following a blood trail that lead out of the garage and into the driveway. My mother, who lost her sister and her best friend over a stupid boy who was embarrassed because he was a thief and a liar that got caught stealing what really amounted to pennies – and then chosing to take not only the life of my cousin but to wait for my aunt and kill her as well. I wrote to and received several letters from Richard Moon. This, I suppose was my attempt to make sense of all that had happened – and not once did he acknowledge his actions nor did he really understand what he had done to our whole family – I am unsure if he ever thinks about what he has done but we think about it every day. Whether he is dead or alive is really no matter to me because regardless of where he is, I have to think about what he has done for the rest of my life. There will never be any justice.
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and by the way David… That new vehicle that he bought, he took a loan from my grandparents and never paid them back – instead he killed their daughter and grandchild. Sorry that you lost a friend but really you can do without friends like that
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Amy,
Please tell your Uncle Bob that my brother James has often wondered how he was doing. I would love to put the two of them back in touch. If you don’t mind, ask your Uncle if he would mind speaking to my brother.
There isn’t a day that we don’t think about your family and miss what might have been. My brother loved Melitta so much. To this day he will never ever be fully over the loss.
Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely,
Tammie
PS…David, my brother also knew Richard. Both my brother’s actually.
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I too knew and worked both Richard and Melitta. Richard was a petty, immature and immoral person. He was incapable of owning up to his actions. I am sure little has changed.
Melitta was a happy, cheerful person who was always fun to be around. She had so many friends because she was so easily approachable. Her murder was a despicable act.
I am, over all, not a proponent of the death penalty. However it is a part of our judicial system and, as such, Richard Moon deserves to be at the top of the list.
May he rot in hell.
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I was a very very young child when this happened. My mother and aunt knew both Richard and Melitta. My aunt played softball with the two of them in our home town, Rowland Heights. I was maybe about 12 years old when I first heard, and understood what had happened because I was being a nosy kid looking at pictures.. when I said had who is this w my aunt. That is when my family told me what happened. Richard, how could you put my aunt in the line of fire? You made up a story and asked her to help you … my aunt is a very loving caring person and trusted her friends. But Militia was her friend too! I was told when she testified you did not even look up at her… you know you did wrong. My family talks really good of you before thr crime… they said they never would have expected you to do anything like that. It’s so hard for me to understand. If you loved her, then why? What could have possibly drove you to kill the person you love?
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I have no connection to either the victims’ family or the perpetrator. I attend a university in the Bay Area. This semester I am taking a class called “Deviant Behavior”. Yesterday, my classmates and I went on a field trip to San Quentin. I wanted to share my experience with all of you. When we went into the Condemned area of the prison, our group was allowed to talk to an inmate, Richard Moon. When asked how he ended up on death row, he stated that he took the lives of two friends. He expressed his remorse for the crimes he committed. He also stated that he deserves the death penalty for what he did, and if he’s called on tomorrow to be executed, he is ready to go. I feel like I can read people really well. He seemed genuinely remorseful.
As for the person who mentioned about forgiveness… forgiveness is such a loaded and triggering word for most victims/survivors in general and should be avoided. I can’t imagine the pain of losing family in such a vicious way. I can, however, sympathize with holding on to anger, grief, and sadness for 18+ years. It’s been my experience that everyone copes and heals at different times. What may be cathartic for one person, won’t be that way for another. Maybe when Moon is executed, this family will find closure and finally begin their healing process.
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Gina,
Thank you for your words about forgiveness. It seems to be pushed down the throats of the loved ones of victims. Each person has to handle it their own way and should not be criticized or called out for their feelings. Forgiveness or lack of forgiveness is very personal.
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Also, closure is a myth. There is no such thing as closure. Just moving on to another phase.
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Richard Moon is a Parasite .he should have been killed years ago for what he did .maybe a fellow inmate can impose the death penalty on him for us with a jailhouse shank . A slow painfull death is what he deserves for all the pain and grief he has caused.He has been sentenced and is 100 percent guilty so what is taking so long ?
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Unfortunately, it is a long process in California. No one has been executed in a while. I am hoping that they get this going soon. There are people on death row there who have been on there longer than Richard Moon. No justice there.
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I remember Richard Moon. He was my winter camp counselor when I was in 6th grade. He committed this crime a month after I came back from camp. My elementary school friend showed me the newspaper “Metro” section and I read the article and was shellshocked. He used to sing a song to our group…”Oh Mr. Moon…Moon…bright and shiny moon…will you please shine down on me.” Also, when I left camp on the last day, he gave me a tree cookie he made. During camp, I had to go to the bathroom every night and take a wiz…I had to wake him up every night and go to the bathroom…
Finally, at the camp, I remember going to a Hoe Down and he said the words “Mellow out dude” because I was too enthusiastic….
Now that I think about…that was 24 years ago….it is super creepy and am thankful nothing happened to the kids at the camp. However, what he did to those two….just a horrible act all around….
I hope closure can be found….Just wanted to share what I knew about this man…..
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