Elderly couple found dead in South Davis residence in a double homicide

By Rana Eser,

HUB Staff Writer–

On Sunday, April 14, Oliver Northup and his wife Claudia Maupin were found dead in their condo at the 4000 block of Cowell Boulevard in South Davis. Maupin’s daughter had called the police at 9:20 p.m. asking the police to check in on the couple, concerned after she had not heard from them all day.

When officers arrived, they found a car out front with all the lights on. The police went to check the property, and the couple was found dead with visible signs of trauma to their bodies; it was evident that both victims suffered stab wounds. There were also signs of a forced entry but the house was not ransacked.

Northup, 87, was known as a long time attorney in Woodland, who was semi-retired and still represented criminal defendants.

In Davis Northup was known to sing in a local band, the Putah Creek Crawdads, which was scheduled to play Sunday 3:00 p.m. at the farmers market. When Northup didn’t show up his friends and family began to get worried.

He has been married to his wife, Maupin for 6 years. It was Maupin’s daughter who called the police asking for a welfare check.

In a statement, the Davis police said they were still investigating the double homicide with the help of the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, the Yolo County Coroner’s Office, the West Sacramento Police Department, the California Department of Justice and the FBI.

In the statement police noted the rarity of a crime like this happening in Davis. The last homicide in Davis occurred in October 2011.

“We understand the violent nature of this crime is a shock to our community. We will be fielding extra patrol officers as a preventative measure,” police said in the statement. Currently no motive has been established.

Anyone that has any possible information on the crime is urged to contact the Davis Police Department at 747-5400.