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 TV series Judging Amy. On October 21, 2005, she was shot dead in front of an apartment complex in Inglewood, California.

Early life

Tara Correa-McMullen was born in Westminster, Vermont to mother Mary Devra Correa and father Thomas McMullen.^[1] 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.^[2]

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.^[2] She later won a part as a recurring character on the CBS TV series Judging Amy as a young gang member, and she appeared in several episodes during the series' sixth season. Correa-McMullen also had a small role on one episode of the hit Nickelodeon television series Zoey 101.^[3]

Murder

In early 2005, 16-year-old Correa-McMullen moved into her own apartment in Inglewood, California and began dating a gang member, Christopher Avery, ten years her senior.^{[citation needed]} On the evening of October 21, 2005, she was shot to death by gang member Damien Watts.^[4] 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.^[5] She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.^[6]

Aftermath

Damien Watts was charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder on March 1, 2006.^[5] On January 23, 2009, he was convicted of Correa-McMullen's murder. Watts was sentenced to five life sentences without parole on February 27, 2009.^[7] Watts' accomplice in the shooting spree, Joseph Wayne Jones, was also sentenced to life without parole.^[8]

In 2007, Tara Correa-McMullen was profiled on the E! documentary series Boulevard of Broken Dreams. She was also the subject of the 2024 season of Death By Fame in an episode called A Rising Star Shot Down.