Phil Hartman's house

This is Phil Hartman's former house.

It is located at 5065 Encino Avenue in Encino, California.

In May 1998, the actor and comedian was murdered by his wife while he was sleeping inside the residence.

Hartman was a regular Saturday Night Live cast member who starred in movies such as Jingle All the Way (1996) and Toy Soldiers (1998). He also voiced the characters Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz in the animated series The Simpsons.

Hartman married his third wife, Brynn Omdahl, in 1987.

Omdahl was a former model from Minnesota who had high hopes of becoming an actress.

At first, their relationship seemed perfect, and the couple had two children.

However, as the years passed and her acting career failed to take off, she started abusing drugs and alcohol. She also became increasingly insecure about her age.

While her career was floundering, her husband was starting to secure major acting roles in Hollywood movies. As a result, she became jealous, abusive, and resentful towards him.

At one point, the abuse became so bad that Hartman considered retiring just so he could "keep the peace" and save his marriage.

Despite their marital issues, they still seemed like the perfect couple in public.

Although Omdahl went to rehab and achieved sobriety for a time, she fell off the wagon at some point in 1997. She also started having an affair with a man named Ron Douglas.

As the months wore on, Omdahl continued to drink, take cocaine, and abuse antidepressants—a potent mix that caused her to erupt into violent outbursts.

Her behavior became so erratic that it eventually caused their housekeeper to quit.

On May 27th, 1998, Omdahl had dinner and drinks with a friend at a local restaurant. Toxicology reports show that she also took cocaine and an antidepressant called Zoloft.

Afterwards, she drove to Ron Douglas' house, where she continued drinking.

Shortly before 1 a.m., Omdahl returned home and had a heated argument with Hartman. Following their spat, Hartman decided to go to bed.

In the early hours of the morning, Omdahl entered the bedroom with a revolver and crept up to her sleeping husband. She then raised the weapon and fired three times, killing him instantly.

Following the shooting, she drove back to Douglas' house and confessed that she had murdered Hartman. Douglas initially refused to believe her until he saw that she had a revolver.

After taking the weapon from Omdahl and throwing it into the trunk of his car, he followed her back to Encino Avenue, where he discovered Hartman's body.

When Douglas called 911 to report the murder, Omdahl locked herself inside the bedroom. Unbeknownst to him, she had picked up another gun.

Once the door was locked, the mother of two lay down beside her husband, put the gun in her mouth, and committed suicide.

The couple's two children, Sean (8) and Birgen (6), remained asleep inside the house while the murder-suicide took place.

Sadly, the two kids were orphaned, losing the two most important people in their lives in the space of a few hours. Following the tragic events of May 27th, 1998, Sean and Birgen were raised by their aunt in Minnesota.

Photos

Photos of the house and other related images.

5065 Encino Avenue

This Google Street View image of 5065 Encino Avenue was taken in December 2021.

A wooden bear sculpture at the front of the property displays the house's address.

Phil Hartman and Brynn Omdahl are pictured on the right. Friends and coworkers said that they seemed like the perfect couple in public.

"Hi, I'm Troy McClure. You might remember me from..."

Hartman voiced the popular characters Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz in the animated sitcom The Simpsons.

Following his death, both characters were retired.

Crime scene

The police load the bodies of Hartman and Omdahl into the back of a coroner's van.

The police arrive at the house

When the police arrived at the scene, they initially believed that they were dealing with an active shooter.

It wasn't until they reached the master bedroom door and heard a gunshot that they realized the shooter had committed suicide.

Upon entering the bedroom, they found the bodies of Hartman and Omdahl lying together on the bed, which was saturated in blood. The police report stated that it was "obvious" they were not alive.

Hartman had a hole in his forehead, while Omdahl lay beside him with a revolver in her hand.