Larry Eugene Phillips Jr. (September 20, 1970 - February 28, 1997) and the Romanian-born Decebal Ștefan Emilian "Emil" Mătăsăreanu (July 19, 1966 - February 28, 1997) first met at a Gold's Gym in Venice, Los Angeles, California, in 1989. Larry Eugene Phillips (5 feet 10 inches and 193 pounds ) and Emil Mătăsăreanu (6 feet tall and 340 pounds) had a mutual interest in weightlifting, bodybuilding, and firearms. Before meeting, Phillips was a habitual offender, responsible for multiple real estate scams and counts of shoplifting. Mătăsăreanu was a qualified electrical engineer and ran a relatively unsuccessful computer repair business.