A cryptic graffiti tag scrawled above the battered body of 18-year-old Max Maltzman inside an abandoned California warehouse became a key clue in the hunt for his alleged killer, who could now become the first minor in San Francisco to be tried as an adult in over a decade

Maltzman had last been seen at his Lower Nob Hill apartment on January 6, 2023, before he was reported missing, according to the Daily Mail.

More than two weeks later, on January 23, his bludgeoned body was discovered at the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard by a person who had entered the abandoned warehouse to look at street art.

Prosecutors allege Maltzman was lured to the warehouse with the promise of a party before he was attacked, after which his killer–whose identity remains undisclosed due to his age–tried to hide his body under a large steel plate.

Spray-painted above his body was the tag “EBOK,” with an arrow pointing down at him.

Investigators later learned from classmates that Maltzman’s former high school peer — a 17-year-old graffiti artist at the time who went to Raoul Wallenberg High School — reportedly used that tag, according to the Mail, which cited the San Francisco Chronicle.

Despite the graffiti left at the scene, investigators did not identify and arrest the suspect until November 2024 — nearly two years after the incident.

Cellphone data and surveillance footage eventually placed Maltzman and his former classmate together, showing the two entering the warehouse.

About 20 minutes later, Maltzman called 911. Police responded to the warehouse at the time but found nothing, leaving Maltzman’s body hidden there until its discovery weeks later.

Several teenagers eventually told investigators that the suspect had admitted to killing Maltzman, and one person claimed the suspect even texted him a photograph of his bloodied knuckles.

The suspect’s former girlfriend told investigators he killed Maltzman because the 18-year-old had allegedly bragged about sexually assaulting someone, a claim authorities have stated is completely unsubstantiated.

Maltzman’s parents, Reed Maltzman and Jennifer Gosselin, told the Chronicle they found it nauseating that the defendant spread this cruel rumor to justify the horrific murder of their son.

During a court hearing, Gosselin described the scene where her son was found, recalling his blood on the walls, his body stuffed underground, and his murderer’s tag pointing down to his body, adding that the premeditated and brutally executed murder seemed like just another Friday night for the killer.

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office is now seeking to move the case from juvenile to adult court because of the violent nature of the alleged crime.

The defense is pushing to keep the case in juvenile court, arguing the defendant was previously addicted to fentanyl and was an “immature and dysfunctional youth.”

“While it looks like there was some planning by (the defendant), this isn’t an Ocean’s 11 caper,” his lawyer said. “Planning a fake party and asking someone to go to it is not the definition of high sophistication.”

If the case stays in juvenile court, the defendant will be released before he turns 25.

If the case moves to adult court and he is convicted, he could face 25 years to life in state prison.

Judge Anne Costin is scheduled to decide on Tuesday whether the defendant, now 21, should be prosecuted as an adult.

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