A mysterious graffiti mark found above the battered body of 18-year-old Max Maltzman in an abandoned California warehouse has emerged as a crucial lead in the case against his alleged killer — a suspect who may become the first juvenile in more than 10 years to be tried as an adult in San Francisco.
Maltzman was last seen on Jan. 6, 2023, at his apartment in Lower Nob Hill before he was reported missing, the Daily Mail reported.
More than two weeks later, on Jan. 23, a person exploring street art inside a deserted warehouse at the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard discovered his bludgeoned body.
According to prosecutors, Maltzman had been enticed to the warehouse with the promise of a party before he was attacked. His alleged killer, whose name has not been released because he was a minor at the time, then tried to conceal the body beneath a large steel plate.
Spray-painted on the wall above him was the tag “EBOK,” accompanied by an arrow pointing down toward his body.
Investigators later heard from classmates that a former high school peer of Maltzman’s — then a 17-year-old graffiti artist who attended Raoul Wallenberg High School — was allegedly known to use that tag, according to the Mail, citing the San Francisco Chronicle.
Even with the graffiti clue at the scene, authorities did not identify and arrest the suspect until November 2024, nearly two years after Maltzman was killed.
Cellphone records and surveillance video ultimately helped investigators place Maltzman and his former classmate together, showing them entering the warehouse before the killing.
About 20 minutes later, Maltzman called 911. Police responded to the warehouse at the time but found nothing, leaving Maltzman’s body hidden there until its discovery weeks later.
Several teenagers eventually told investigators that the suspect had admitted to killing Maltzman, and one person claimed the suspect even texted him a photograph of his bloodied knuckles.
The suspect’s former girlfriend told investigators he killed Maltzman because the 18 year old had allegedly bragged about sexually assaulting someone, a claim authorities have stated is completely unsubstantiated.
Maltzman’s parents, Reed Maltzman and Jennifer Gosselin, told the Chronicle they found it nauseating that the defendant spread this cruel rumor to justify the horrific murder of their son.
During a court hearing, Gosselin described the scene where her son was found, recalling his blood on the walls, his body stuffed underground and his murderer’s tag pointing down to his body, adding that the premeditated and brutally executed murder seemed like just another Friday night for the killer.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office is now seeking to move the case from juvenile to adult court because of the violent nature of the alleged crime. Meanwhile, the defense is pushing to keep the case in juvenile court, arguing the defendant was previously addicted to fentanyl and was an “immature and dysfunctional youth.”
“While it looks like there was some planning by [the defendant], this isn’t an ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ caper,” his lawyer said. “Planning a fake party and asking someone to go to it is not the definition of high sophistication.”
If the case stays in juvenile court, the defendant will be released before he turns 25.
If the case moves to adult court and he is convicted, he could face 25 years to life in state prison.
Judge Anne Costin is scheduled to decide Tuesday whether the defendant, now 21, should be prosecuted as an adult.
