Chip Northup & Claudia Maupin Killed: Community Groups Respond

The elderly couple killed in Davis over the weekend was beloved by many in town. As their identities were revealed Monday, an outpouring of grief and sadness followed. 

Chip Northup, 88, was a prominent defense attorney and member of the Putah Creek Crawdads, a staple of the Davis music scene, especially at the farmers market.

"His folk singing career got its start when, around 1961, he took a few (a very, very few) group folk guitar lessons through the Davis Arts Center," according to the Crawdads website. "A lawyer by profession, he now specializes in criminal appellate defense of indigents by court appointment." 

His hobbies included "hiking in the wilderness, walking anywhere, writing poetry, fiction and memoir, not for publication, all kinds of reading, movie going, and TV watching."

Claudia Maupin, 76, and her husband were also founding members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis. The church shared the following statement Monday:

This is a time when we experience the importance of a loving community. Claudia Maupin and Chip Northup, both much loved members, were murdered over the weekend.

It is with great love that you are invited to an hour vigil in our sanctuary on Wednesday, April 17 from 7:00pm - 8:00pm  with words to recognize our grief, music to sooth our broken hearts, and candle light to honor their lives. Memorial services will occur at a later date. If you know others in our community who would benefit from being together in community at this time, please invite them. We are all touched by this loss. Come to hear words that connect us with others. - Rev. Beth Banks

Mayor Joe Krovoza, who is in Washington, D.C., sent the following on behalf of the city council: 

It's with great of sadness that the City Council and I have received new of the deaths of Claudia Maupin and Chip Northup.  Our hearts go out to their families, friends, fellow congregants at the Davis Unitarian Universalist Church, and the many groups in Davis they touched.  While Davis achieves a high degree of safety through our police and the watchful eyes of all, we are not imune from terrible acts. Let us all redouble our efforts to protect our fellow citizens and give support to those who have suffered this irreversible loss.  Our Council is staying well-informed on the quick and comprehensive response of our police, and our Police Department's efforts will not cease until the case is brought to closure.

Northup's band, the Putah Creek Crawdads, added this:

We are deeply saddened and in shock over the sudden and tragic deaths of two members of the extended Crawdad family. The warmth in Chip Northup’s singing voice matched the warmth in his heart and spirit; he and his wife (and our dear friend) Claudia Maupin were two of the most generous and giving people anyone could hope to meet. We send our heartfelt condolences to Chip and Claudia’s beloved families. We already miss Chip and Claudia deeply.

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