Daniel Koch, 33 [Updated]

Aug. 26, 2007, 12:15 p.m.

Daniel Edward Koch, a 33-year-old white man, was stabbed in Limekiln Canyon Park in Porter Ranch on Sunday, Aug. 26, and died at 12:15 p.m. He had been arguing with two men, and one pulled a knife and stabbed him. An unknown passerby spotted his body, called 911 and disappeared.

Later, one suspect was arrested: Quinn Marez, 18, of mixed white and Latino descent. The quarrel, investigators said, had to do with name-calling.

One more suspect, 18-year-old Justin Thalheimer, a white youth, was arrested in Santa Barbara on May 6. Credit goes to LAPD Devonshire Dets. John Doerbecker and Mike Fesperman for this cleared case.

[Update Nov. 17: A reader contacted the Los Angeles Times, asking for a follow-up on Koch's case.

Marez and Thalheimer each were convicted of first-degree murder on Feb. 11, 2010, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

In May, Marez was sentenced to 28 years to life in prison, while Thalheimer received 76 years to life.]

-- Sarah Ardalani

Share a memory or thought about Daniel Koch

Before you post, here are some answers to frequently asked questions:

Remember, all posts are approved by a Times staffer. Profanity and personal attacks will not be approved.

54 reader comments

Granada Hills Citizen - first off, you referring to Danny, someone you never met, as a “homeless older man” and that last word you used to end your comment was/is as ignorant as it gets. Dan was a free spirit and came from a good family.

Just because you knew one side of the situation DOESN’T mean you can assume what the other side was about. Just pathetic assumptions & accusations. You can call yourself “Granada Hills citizen”, but THANK GOD you’re type wasn’t part of the jury.

R.I.P. Danny. You were ahead of your time when it came to style, music, art, etc, and always went on you’re own adventurous path. Unfortunately we lost touch in high school, but I will never forget the DLS days we spent hanging out, skateboard sessions, times we hit the beach and got into harmless mischief as kids. When you came by my house at like 7am to drop off surf mags before I left for my flight to Brazil to give me cool surf spots to hit up in the summer of ‘86...THAT was pretty rad. You were a good dude. Miss you old friend...

— Danny’s chilhood friend Dec. 10, 2018 at 2:46 a.m.

Just read the whole trial on this... Im saddened n so shocked for these boys. So young, so lost. I went to school many years with justin, quin and emily. No they werent perfect angels... Who is at 18? They wanted wat every teenager wanted love n acceptance. Justin n quin were both class clowns would make me laugh so much, always put a smile on mine and others faces. Why were any of them on the streets wen they had such good homes? N why were they hanging out with a man almost twice their age ?? Just to get drugs n alcohol obviously... It said sumwhere in there that when the homeless man got the bottle from emilys legs, (it brought back memmories of molestation to quin guessing from this same older man hanging out with these teenagers) quin lost it. He went nuts u dont stab a man 42 times bc he called your gf a bitch there was more to it, i believe he tried to rape him, but they were desperate for alcohol or a fix so they hung out with him despite that. Quin was one of the nicest funniest guys i knew something in his brain triggered n set him off. this man was a huge threat to him, doesnt make it right no... Not at all.No body desereves to die... But people commenting on here saying that quin n justin are monsters they should rot etc etc is just wrong they were very young they were experimenting with drugs n alcohol. They werent in their right mind and should have gotten help from their familys with their addictions...instead of hanging out with sum older homeless dude who most likely was a effing perv!!!!!!!!

— Granada hills citizen March 8, 2013 at 12:10 a.m.

This nonsense about a druggie homelss guy being a saint is a JOKE! If he was so awesome and important to all of you why wasn't he living with you and not out living in a park buying liquor and giving drugs to kids? These boys are prob no angels but I can tell you most 18 yr old boys aren't perfect saints. But that doesn't mean they deserve what was done to t hem either. And what is this nonsense from "a concerned citizen" blaming the parents? Where are your facts sir? I see no links with proof to all the slanderous claims you have made. Post some evidence then I ll give credence to your nonsense. I can't wait until your kids mess up. I am sure you will be the first to hold them responsible for THEIR OWN ACTIONS and not take full responsibility for them yourself. Unless you grew up in that house how do you know how they parented their children?

— aLocal Feb. 12, 2013 at 10:55 p.m.

It is alarming that a man like Candido Marez, whose son was convicted of First Degree murder, and his other son also convicted of felony manslaughter, would even be allowed to have his name on any ballot for any position anywhere in the City of Los Angeles. He is still trying to get his son out of prison, even though this is a convicted murderer. Now, he is trying to take the case to the CA Supreme Court to have it dismissed, as if Quinn is entitled to murder and get away with it. Again, the leadership he provides has ruined both his son's life and the victim's lives, and their families too. Is this the type of leader any agency in the City of Los Angeles would want on their team? I think not. If you will look at his history, he basically was forced out of New Mexico, and decided to move over to Los Angeles to try to 'start again'. Now we have people dead and others hurt. All citizens should be aware, and prevent this man from obtaining any position within the City of Los Angeles.

— A concerned citizen March 15, 2012 at 5:45 p.m.

The Danny I knew and loved was one of a kind. Yes he was homeless at the time he was murdered, but he had a home and a family that loved him, he was just a free spirit. Danny was a son, a brother, an uncle, an artist, a poet, a dreamer and a beloved friend to many people. He loved all the crazy things in life, and I liked him for that, we used to have so much fun exploring and hiking, driving around, and going to the beach. He was such a gifted artist and saw beyond the wall in this world, he helped me see a glimpse of that creativity and imagination. I really thought that this guy had magic sometimes. The two lost souls who took his life are paying for this crime in prison now. Just found out they got life sentences in prison… Thank god! We don’t need those two violent people wandering the streets. RIP Danny… I miss you and always think of how romantic you were.

— A friend to Danny Feb. 10, 2012 at 1:12 p.m.

My uncle and auntie raised their kids the best way they could. Quinn did do good and was a good kid once. Drugs change people. He was convicted of a horrible crime. They said he was high on drugs and the man also sold drugs. These things dont make anything better then to put alochol in the mix no one makes good decisions when you have those two things in your system. Your sons make good decisions because YOU DID the best you could in raising them.Thats good however thats not always the case. We all do our best in raising our kids which every parent should. When they grow up we hope they make the best decisions and they use the morals we installed in them to make these choices, yet not all do. This is sad and heart breaking when they don't. Pointing the finger and calling name helps no one. This is something that is very sad. Quinns family is also left to pick up the pieces as well as Dannys family. My prayers go out to both .

— Sharlene Jan. 13, 2011 at 12:04 p.m.

Quinn Marez is our cousin and a young adult who obviously ran with the wrong crowd and our sympathy goes out to the family of the man he killed, but we as people can not judge others so harshly. The only one who can judge us is our Father in heaven. We need to pray for the youth in our communities especially those who live in big cities and have to deal with the pressures of drugs, gangs and violence. We live in a small farming community in New Mexico, and the pressures our young children here have to face are not nearly as bad as those who live in such largely populated areas. For those of you who seem to think that Quinns father, Candido Marez, CHOSE the life that his boys led, you are sadly mistaken! NO parent wishes their children will grow up and become felons. As parents we try to do what is best for our children. We raise them with the intention of becoming respectable, successful, adults. Life does not always turn out the way we plan it. The choices that Mr. Marez' (Candido) sons made is not an exact reflection on who he is as a man and it definately does not reflect how well he can run the city of Los Angeles.Candido Marez and his wife did the best they could in raising their sons, their sons made there own decisions. Right or wrong, after a certain point in our childrens lives we no longer control their actions. All we can hope for is that the morals and values we instilled in them growing up, sticks with them.As every parent knows sometimes our childrens friends and society have more influence over them, no matter how well we raised them. What Quinn did was terribly wrong, but his actions are not by any means, a relection on his father, Candido Marez, and for you to say it is, just goes to show how ignorant you really are! Anthony & Michelle Marez Belen, NM

— Anthony & Michelle Marez Nov. 18, 2010 at 10:37 a.m.

Danny may you rest in peace!!!!!!! Both Quinn Marez and Justin Thalheimer are CONVICTED MURDER ONE MONSTERS!!!!!
Im glad they will wrought in jail, they really should be put thru what they did to you Dan but our justice system will only let them wrought. I always looked at you Dan with a sense of envy and jealousy. Most people would not or could not understand the life style you chose to live. You were a guy that lived what most men can only dream about. No Time cards, no boss. Go where you want when you want to paint your Great Art Works and trade them or sell them or barter. Yea you knew what it was like to go hungry at times and Im sure your murderers never did. They were not only murderers but drug addicts, theives with the attitude that if mommy and daddy didnt give them money they stole what they needed to survive "easy come easy go" You were a true survivor untill these punk thug killers ambushed you and did un-believable cruel things to you. Im sure you did not suffer long but they did not stop. May your sole rest in peace
and there are many people that are proud of you as the kind,EDUCATED free spirited ARTIST,FISHERMAN,SURFER,SAILOR,OUTDORSMAN you are.......
LA Times you should re-visit this HUGE STORY and give it COVERAGE IT DESERVED. YOU GOT IT WRONG BIG TIME!!!!!

— sssyyttssuurrr March 25, 2010 at 8:49 p.m.

These boys had a morning in court today and my goodness had their appearances changed. People had posted about John Gardner looking like a huge monster...well in blue jail suits and shackled at the hip and ankles these boys no longer looked like kids..they looked like the killers they were. I hope Danny is looking down and knows that we're all doing all we can for him and for all the innocents out there that only ask for peace, beauty and life. How many parents have to lose their kids before the justice department cracks down and keeps these repeat offenders off the street. There are Danny's killers, Lily Burk's killer and now this horrible monster in San Diego. Please help us put a stop to all this craziness. The next time it could be you or me or one of our own kids.

— Sheree March 4, 2010 at 11:32 p.m.

I'm dismayed that a newspaper of your supposed caliber, would chose to cover the initial murder, which you intially described as a stabbing without knowing the facts of the case. It was much more. Furthermore, while you asked for the public's help in solving this case you never tied Quinn Marez to Candido Marez. This makes it seem like a cover up. How many years has Candido (CANDY) ha! been preaching to the choir while he has produced two felon sons. Quinn was convicted of 1st degree murder with weapons charges this month for this crime, which was horribly brutal. Manson? O.J.? Were these just covered because of the amount of papers you would sell? It is your duty as a paper that represents Los Angeles to give us the initial report as well as the follow up in the crime. Daniel Koch was a human being, an artist and and educated man. He had the same right to life that all of us do. If it had been a case of animal cruelty it would have made your pages, yet this was completely ignored. Who are you hiring as reporters these days? They need to do a little research.

— Justice California Feb. 27, 2010 at 8:07 p.m.