Tara Correa-McMullen

Tara Correa-McMullen (born Shalvah McMullen; May 24, 1989 – October 21, 2005) was an American actress. She played gang member Graciela Reyes on the CBS drama series Judging Amy. On October 21, 2005, she was shot and killed by a gang member in front of her apartment complex in Inglewood, California.

Early life Tara Correa-McMullen was born Shalvah McMullen in Westminster, Vermont, to mother Mary Devra Correa and father Thomas McMullen. In 1996, she, her mother, and her older sister Abigail moved to Southern California, and later settled in Venice, an affluent neighborhood of Los Angeles. Correa-McMullen attended Claremont Middle School and later Venice High School, where she sang in the school's choir.

Career Correa-McMullen's only film role was in the 2005 film Rebound, when her mother, who was working for a casting company at the time, recommended her daughter for the role. Correa-McMullen had no acting experience prior to landing the role.

Murder and funeral In early 2005, 16-year-old Correa-McMullen moved into her own apartment in Inglewood, California, and began dating a gang member, Christopher Avery, who was ten years older than she was. On the evening of October 21, 2005, she was gunned down by gang member Damien Watts. At the time of her death, Correa-McMullen was outside her apartment complex and was trying to run inside for safety. Two other people were also shot in the incident, but survived. She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.

Aftermath Damien Watts was charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder on March 1, 2006. Watts was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences without parole on February 27, 2009.

In popular culture Correa-McMullen's murder was featured in "A Rising Star Shot Down", the premiere episode of the 2024 season of the true crime documentary series Death by Fame, on the Canadian Investigation Discovery.

Filmography Film and television