Recently in Homicides Category
I've created a Web survey to gather responses on whether Juan Manuel Alvarez, who was convicted of killing 11 in the 2005 Metrolink train disaster.
The FBI gathered investigators, psychologists and crime analysts from across the country to come up with profiles of serial killers.
Their study released today from the Behavorial Science wing of the bureau is supposed to help cops detect those killers. Along the way it busts some of those myths that serial killers are freaky loners like Hannibal Lecter, or that they simply want to get caught, like the Zodiac Killer.
It's an interesting read, with background on where the phenomenon of serial killers began and even a letter from Jack the Ripper.
Dear Boss I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal. How can they catch me now. I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use it. Red ink is fit enough I hope ha. ha. The next job I do I shall clip the ladys ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly wouldn't you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight. My knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance. Good luck. Yours truly Jack the Ripper
Here's the report.
......And a few "myth busters" from the press release:
1) Serial killers are not all dysfunctional loners: some have had wives and kids and full-time jobs and have been very active in their community or church or both.
2) Serial killers are not all white males: the racial diversification of serial killers generally mirrors the overall U.S. population.
3) Serial killers do not want to get caught: over time, as they kill without being discovered, they get careless during their crimes.
A Vineland Boyz member will spend the rest of his life in prison for shooting to death a 16-year-old girl who had testified against one of his fellow gang members. Raul Robledo was sentenced to the life term in a closed hearing Monday. The 30-year-old shot Martha Puebla outside her San Fernando Valley home on May 12, 2003. Days earlier she had testified at a hearing against Jose Ledesma, a fellow gang member of Robledo's. Ledesma and another member, Javier Covarrubias, admitted their roles in Puebla's death and are serving life sentences.
I wrote about Puebla in the pages of the Daily News in 2003. Her family told me she was a caring aunt to a then-7-year-old nephew who, admittedly, associated with troublesome friends.
She was shot across the street from her home in the 7600 block of Case Avenue. She was standing in front of her house, talking to friends when a man walked up to her and fired several shots from a pistol, then took off in a dark blue midsize sedan.
Family members told me that before the man fired the gun, he asked her sister, ``Do you know me?'' and Puebla responded no.
Police said then that the case was a "slap at the fiber" of the criminal justice system because they rely on witnesses to come forward and they promised to pursue the case with "great vigor."
This is not the right way to start a Friday morning, especially for the family of the guy who was killed.
Another homicide in the Valley overnight. Details are sketchy. But we'll flesh it out...
Police this morning were trying to piece together the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of an 18-year-old man whose body was found on a Sylmar street.The shooting occurred in the 13500 block of Kismet Avenue at 12:15 a.m., police said.
If you haven't checked out our new Valley Crime Map, you should. It's a list of 92 significant crimes - from homicides, to assaults to shootings, to robberies and burglaries - in the Valley since May. I've been compiling the data and uploading it into a new online database that maps the crimes out by street and allows you, the viewer to, search by neighborhood and get up-to-date information about crime near you.
Thanks to the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Bureau, the information comes to me about daily. I'd like to know what you think about the map and how we can make it more useful. E-mail me with your thoughts.
The spokesman for the state's Justice Department forwarded me the state's significant cases for May. Included are big weapons, drugs and fraud cases. Enjoy.
CACHE OF WEAPONS AND AMMO FOUND IN PROBATIONER'S RESIDENCE
Special Agents with the Bureau of Firearms (BOF) checked the Armed Prohibited Person System and noted that a subject, Tom Powell, was listed as owning three firearms; however, due to previous criminal conviction he is prohibited from possessing and owning firearms. When agents determined that Powell was on searchable probation out of San Benito County, they conducted a search of his residence and located over 1,300 rounds of ammunition and a large gun safe. Powell told officers he had sold all of his weapons but he could not produce any records regarding the sales. A locksmith was called to the residence and opened the safe where agents retrieved five rifles, four handguns and one shotgun. Powell was arrested while other agents continued the search of the house. Located in the attic were additional weapons, including an unregistered AR-15 assault weapon, a 12-gauge shotgun and a revolver.
COMMERCIAL BRIBERY SCHEME AT CAL CASINO
While Special Agents from the Riverside Office of the Bureau of Gambling Control (BGC) were investigating several management employees of the Pechanga Resort and Casino, the Agents uncovered evidence that floor supervisor, Kathy Zhou, who was recently suspended from her job, was charging casino job applicants $3,000 each to falsify their job applications to secure employment. Agents monitored a telephone conversation between Zhou and one of her "customers," during which she instructed the individual not to say anything to DOJ agents. Zhou admitted to the witness during this conversation that she lied to the agents when they questioned her, and was admonishing everyone involved to "keep their stories straight." Zhou was arrested on charges of commercial bribery and obstructing a criminal investigation.
LAPD blog updates us on another South L.A. killing.
A man standing in a large group on the street is shot and killed.On June 8, 2008, at around 11:50 p.m., police were called to the area of 88th Street and Western Avenue to investigate a shooting that occurred at that location. When officers arrived they discovered 20-year-old Frederick Eugene Moore, lying on the sidewalk. Moore had received a gunshot wound.
Los Angeles City Fire personnel responded and provided emergency treatment for the victim before transporting him to a local hospital. Moore failed to respond to emergency treatment and died.
Detectives say that Moore was standing within a large group of people at 88th Street and Western Avenue. For unknown reasons, shots were fired. The suspect was last seen entering a light colored vehicle and left the location.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call South Bureau Homicide Detectives Durazo and Barling at 213-485-1383. On off hours, weekends, and holidays call the toll free number 1-877 LAWFULL (529-3855).
The summer season of violence got off to an early start with 14 people killed across the county this weekend, six of which were in the Valley.
The LAPD is updating its Web site with some of the latest shootings. Here's one from South L.A.
One man died and one escaped injury during what detectives believe was a gang related shooting.On June 7, 2008, at around 6:25 p.m., Michael Smith, 20-years-old, was walking with his friend near the corner of 95th Street and Vermont Avenue. Smith and his friend had just walked a female companion to a nearby bus stop.
The suspect who was described only as a male Black, approached Smith and the other man from the opposite corner and began firing a handgun at them. Smith was hit by gunfire in the upper body and staggered a short distance before collapsing in the center median on Vermont Avenue. The other intended victim was not injured.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call South Bureau Homicide Detective Sal LaBarbera at 213-485-4341. On off hours, weekends, and holidays call the toll free number 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).
In a bloody weekend of violence, a dozen people were killed - six in the San Fernando Valley in mostly gang-related crimes.
The victims were killed in five incidents in the central-eastern parts of the San Fernando Valley. Two were gang related, two were unknown and one was a bizarre rear-ender car crash that left the driver and a passenger dead and resulted in the arrest of a DUI suspect.
A popular 17-year old football player who was slain last weekend after he confronted gang members crashing a graduation party will be buried Friday at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.
Jesus Florian, known to friends as "Chimpo," was beloved among students at Francis Polytechnic High School.
"There was a lot of grief about the loss," said the school's interim principal Gerardo Loera. "He was a popular guy."
Over the past week grieving Polytechnic students raised $4,540 for Florian's family while the football booster club raised $3,000 for them.
Police said Florian did not associate with gangs but the shooting comes amid a spate of juvenile homicides in the San Fernando Valley _all gang-related.
On May 12, Manuel Rodriguez, a 16-year-old was shot and killed as he rode his bicycle near Remick Avenue and Weidner Street in Pacoima.
On May 5, Alejandro "Slash" Villa, a 14-year-old was shot in the back and killed after a fight with a group of teenage boys along the 12700 block of Van Nuys, less than a block from his Pacoima home.
On April 18, Victor Fajardo, a 15-year-old was shot and killed as he walked along the 7000 block of Ethel Avenue near Madison Middle School in North Hollywood.
The youngest of those murdered, Villa was a former Maclay Middle School student who had attended meetings at Communities in Schools, a gang intervention group, but friends and family said teetered on the edge of trouble.
His killing prompted a series of meetings at the school where students range in age from 9 to 14 years of age and experts say the lure to gangs begins. Counselors met with the parents of at-risk youth, each from separate gang territories to warn them of the dangers.
But some just didn't believe their young children could get tangled in the violence.
Now, with the summer months approaching --traditionally the most violent days in the city-- gang intervention groups and others are worried about the numbers of teens on the streets.
"There's no outreach out there. There are things to do for kids but it is minimal, especially in this part of the Valley," said Luis Rodriguez, author of "Always Running La Vida Loca, Gang Days in LA" and owner of Tia Chucha's Cafe in Lake View Terrace.
Police are still searching for Florian's killers and a $50,000 reward is expected to be posted next week.
SUN VALLEY -- With police still searching for the killers of a 17-year-old Polytechnic High School football player shot to death at a house party, officials announced Wednesday they will be seeking a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Police say Jesus Florian, known as "Chimpo," was not associated with gangs but confronted gang members who crashed the party after midnight Saturday. He was shot several times in his upper torso.
It's unclear why he confronted the shooter, but the high school graduation and birthday party near Neenach Street and Amboy Avenue had just been winding down. Police say teens had been dancing, and the person who threw the party was not involved.
City Councilman Tony Cardenas, who represents the area, introduced the reward motion to the council Wednesday. It is expected to be approved next week.
"This is another tragedy involving a promising student who had a wealth of opportunities and a bright future brutally taken away from him," he said.
The suspect is described as a Latino in his late teens or early 20s with a shaved head and a thin mustache, 5 foot 8 to 5 feet 9 inches tall with a stocky build.
Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD North Hollywood detectives at 818-623-4045.
Good morning. Cops are looking this morning for a hit-and-run driver who killed a 9-year-old boy in East Los Angeles.
Jesus Sanchez and his family were crossing Ford Boulevard just south of Cesar Chavez Avenue at 12:04 a.m. Sunday when a vehicle going northbound at a high rate of speed struck him, CHP Officer Luis Mendoza said.
The red, late 1990s to early 2000s two-door Honda with tinted rear windows and a spoiler with brake lights did not slow or stop after hitting the boy, Mendoza said. The car then ran a light at Cesar E. Chavez Avenue at Ford and turned left.
On the 40th anniversary of Robert Kennedy's slaying at a Los Angeles hotel, The San Francisco Chronicle writes about the conspiracy theories that abound in the case.
Examples:
-- Sirhan fired his .22-caliber revolver from a few feet in front of Kennedy, according to police, yet Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi reported that the fatal shot was fired less than one inch from Kennedy's head, behind his right ear. Of the four shots fired at Kennedy, all came from the rear. None of this was raised at Sirhan's trial because his defense was based on the theory that he suffered from "diminished capacity" rather than on any challenge of prosecutors' evidence.
-- Sirhan's revolver held eight rounds; a radio reporter's tape recording of the shooting has sounds of what one audio expert describes as 13 shots. Sirhan never had a chance to reload before bystanders tackled him. Two of the sounds on the tape are what forensic experts call "double shots," which means two shots so close together that they couldn't have come from the same revolver.
-- Several witnesses saw a security guard just behind Kennedy draw his revolver, and one reported seeing him fire it.
-- Over the years, Sirhan has told investigators who interviewed him in prison that he was in a hypnotic trance during the shooting and can't remember it at all. He said he could not remember writing, "RFK must die." He did not respond to an interview request for this story.
Los Angeles Police detectives are asking for the public's help to identify the person responsible for the shooting death of a 17-year old teen.
On Saturday, May 31, 2008, just after midnight, North Hollywood patrol officers responded to a shooting call in the 12000 block of Neenach where they found the victim lying on the ground with multiple gun shot wounds to his torso. Los Angeles Fire Department responded and immediately rendered medical treatment. The victim did not respond to their efforts and as result they pronounced him dead.
The preliminary investigation revealed that both the victim and the suspect had attended a party and had been engaged in a heated argument with each other. The suspect produced an unknown caliber handgun and fired multiple shots at the victim from close range, striking the victim in his upper torso. The victim fell to the ground and the suspect fled from the location.
The victim's identity is being withheld pending notification of his family.
Suspect and weapon are still outstanding.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call North Hollywood Homicide Detective Richard Wheeler at (818) 623-4075. After hours and on weekends, call the 24-hour toll free number at the Detective Information Desk at 1-877-LAW-FULL (529-3855).
Los Angeles Police detectives are asking for the public's help to identify the person(s) responsible for the shooting death of 21-year old Derek Chambers.
On Saturday evening, May 31, 2008, at around 11:00 p.m., Southeast patrol officers were patrolling in the area of 108th Street and Figueroa Street when they heard four to five shots from the immediate area. The officers saw several people who were fleeing eastbound on 108th Street from Figueroa Street. As officers continued to investigate they found Chambers in front of 511 W. 108th Street, who had been shot multiple times.
Los Angeles Fire Department Paramedics transported Chambers to local hospital where he died from his injuries.
No suspects were seen. Witnesses told investigators that they had seen a dark four-door sedan drive away after hearing the gunshots.
The motive for this shooting is unknown, however it was likely gang related. The suspect(s), vehicle and weapon remain outstanding.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call South Bureau Homicide Detectives Roger Allen or Scott Wilhelm at 213-485-1383. After hours and on weekends, call the 24-hour toll free number at the Detective Information Desk at 1-877-LAW-FULL (529-3855).
NPR is taking a deep look at rising gang violence in Los Angeles, starting out in South L.A. during a ride-along with veteran LAPD Sergeant Herb Cirilo. npr.org
A Superior Court judge on Monday upheld the murder charge against Ara Grigoryan, the man charged in the July 2007 hit-and-run death of Elizabeth Sandoval. Grigoryan's defense team had sought to reduce the murder charge before going to trial, arguing that prosecutors made certain assumptions about the incident and had overblown the 20-year-old's prior driving infractions to infer a "wanton disregard" for human life -- a key finding for murder.
Here's a few more of LA's coldest cases from the turn of the century...
July 10, 1901
Craiton, H.R., Emp. 2nd hand store, So Main St. - Returning from visit to his girl, 2 this a.m.,; front of Horace Bell's place Figueroa St., was shot at from ambush, behind shrubbery.
July 10
Compfort, L.B., Driver of milk wagon - Shot in back, while on his wagon, 21st & Toberman, abt. 3 this a.m. Taken to Cal. Hospital, 4:30 a.m.
July 14
Macchiaroli, Cano, 829 Yale St. - Shot at 8 this a.m., West Glendale by Antonio Pellegrine, living at 729 Castellar.
Aug. 21
Bachelors, Body of man, to't to be Bachelors, found in Westlake. Kelly and Quinn.
Sept. 3
Rasche, Fred, Foreman, baker, Ebingers Bakery, 3d and Spring St. - At or near 9th and Wall St., 3:30 this a.m. on way home from work, shot in right side (flesh wound). Was a non-union man. Susp. Stevan Faviamovich, union baker, arrested by Sergeant Williams.
Oct. 7
Chow Youck Toy, C----
Shot and killed, Chinatown, abt. 7 this p.m. by Wong Bing arrested at Pasadena by Ritch, this eve.
Nov. 19
Wilcox, Abram P., wife and child - Found murdered in their ranch house near Downey; probably killed night of 16th inst.
Dec. 19
Neilson, Carl, Chatsworth Park Tunnel - Held up by three men, just above S.P. yds., this evening, and compelled to lie down while they committed sodomy on him. Says his companion, W. McGrew was with him. (Captain Hensley).
Dec. 3
Sampson, John - Shot and killed his wife at 4th and Spring St. on sidewalk, this p.m. Immediately arrested by crossing officer O.T. Walker.
Feb. 19, 1902
Wiley, Mrs. H.S. - Shot at her rooming house, (about noon) At The Columbia, 512 So. Broadway by D.C. Kent. He shot her twice in right side and once in left arm, then shot himself in forehead, only making a flesh wound; then cut throat with razor. Kent was her partner in lodging house (and lover). Kent committed suicide by taking carbolic acid in receiving hospital on March 12, 1902.
Wong Ung Wong - Murdered, about 1 this a.m., at Simons Brick Yard, 825 Boyle Ave. by On Ling Sing, who was arrested in San Francisco April 4th, and returned to Los Angeles by Hawley. Hawley, Auble, Steele & Kelly on case.
Good morning ... Below are the latest significant crime reports from the LAPD.
ROBBERY/GTA:
DATE / TIME: 5/13/08, 1215 hrs LOCATION: Atoll Ave /
Victory Blvd
TYPE OF WEAPON: Bodily Force SUSPECT(S) IN CUSTODY: No
# OF VICTIM(S): 1 # OF SUSPECT(S): 1
INJURIES: No TYPE OF INJURIES: None
GANG RELATED: Unk NOTIFICATIONS: W/C, Dets, C/O's
COMMENTS: Victim was painting when the suspect approached him. The
suspect pushed the victim to the ground and took the vehicle keys from
the victim's hands. The suspect fled in the victim's vehicle.
HOMICIDE
DATE / TIME: 5/13/08, 0250 hrs LOCATION:
9000 block of Nagle St
TYPE OF WEAPON: Handgun SUSPECT(S) IN CUSTODY:
No
# OF VICTIM(S): 1 # OF SUSPECT(S): Unk
INJURIES: Yes
TYPE OF INJURIES: GSW
GANG RELATED: Yes
NOTIFICATIONS: W/C, Dets, O/C's, OVB, RACR, CM
COMMENTS: Suspect(s) shot the victim multiple times, then fled the
location. The victim was transported to the hospital where he was
pronounced dead. Homicide detectives are handling. The incident does
not appear to be gang related.
HOMICIDE
DATE / TIME: 5/13/08, 1500 hrs LOCATION:
12700 block of Lourve St
TYPE OF WEAPON: Handgun SUSPECT(S) IN CUSTODY:
No
# OF VICTIM(S): 1 # OF SUSPECT(S): Unk
INJURIES: Yes
TYPE OF INJURIES: GSW to chest
GANG RELATED: Yes
NOTIFICATIONS: W/C, Dets, C/O's, OVB, RACR, CM
COMMENTS: Suspect(s) shot the victim (gang member) in the chest, with a
handgun. The victim succumbed to his injury at 1813 hrs. Homicide
detectives responded to the crime scene and collected evidence.
Police today are going to offer a reward in conjunction with the killing of a Northridge homeless man.
At 8 a.m. at the Devonshire Community Police Station, 10250 Etiwanda Ave., Northridge, Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith, and Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives will ask for the public's help to identify a suspect who accosted an elderly homeless man, causing him to suffer fatal head injuries. For additional information, contact Matt Myerhoff, Communications Director, Council District 12, Cell: (818) 613-2248. Matt.Myerhoff@lacity.org.
A Latino in his 20s punched Harold Gene Loftis, 69, at Roscoe and Reseda boulevards about 10 p.m. April 14
A Santa Barbara prosecutor who consulted in the making of the movie "Alpha Dog," about an accused killer facing the death penalty, may stay on the case, the California Supreme Court decided unanimously today. Ruling against the capital defendant, the state high court said a prosecutor may be removed from a case only if it is determined that his or her actions created a conflict of interest that made it unlikely for the defendant to receive a fair trial.
Earlier, I wrote about some of Los Angeles' oldest murder cases from the turn of the century. In one of them, a man named John Slovinski shot himself with a shotgun. He had been arraigned in a case involving attempted extortion through what was called a badger game. And I put out a call to readers asking if they knew what that was, to weigh in. Well, thanks to Mick O, who found the description on good ol' wikipedia.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is asking for the public's help to identify a hit-and-run suspect who killed a bicyclist in the Hollywood area.
On March 16, 2008, at around 6:45 a.m., 72-year-old Artine Zarkarian was riding his bicycle northbound on Western Avenue when an unknown vehicle struck the rear of his bike just south of Elmwood Avenue and failed to stop.
Ejected from his bicycle, Zakarian landed on the street and sustained serious head injuries. He was transported by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics to a local hospital and eventually died from his injuries on April 29.
Anyone with additional information about the incident is encouraged to contact Detective Acosta at the LAPD West Traffic Division, (213) 473-0234. During off-hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).
Here's another bit from LAPD's coldest murder cases from the turn of the century. One of the more salacious ones turns out not to be a murder ... A guy shot and wounded another guy for getting intimate with his wife. The victim pressed no charges.
Christensen, Simon - Supposed to have been murdered, night of Sept. 9, '99, and put on S.P bridge where he was run over by cars. On March 8-1900, Hawley & Auble arrested a Mexican on suspicion of being the murderer but turned him loose as could not find the Mexican that gave the information.
-
1900, March 10
- Gooding, Judge Henry C. - Held up in front of his residence on night of Mar. 10th, 1900, by two unknown men and shot (not fatally). Grant, Rev. Peter, held up same night on 29th St., about half hour before the above occurence. Wm. O'Brien and Kernell arrested and held to answer on the Grant charge. Mr. Sutter, held up same night; propr. of jewelry store next door to Lee Bros. on So. Spring.
Apr. 21
- Hilduer, George - Shot and killed abt. 9:15 p.m. on 1st St., between Breed & Soto, while on way home, in company with his mother, by two foot pads. Shot in left side while running away from them, evidently with 38 Colts, from bullet extracted from body. No trace of foot pads.
21
- Johnson Palomi, Mexican - Stabbed to death some time last night in rooms of M. Castella, New High St.; susp. Castella. Both drunk. Steele & Auble on case. Castella captured.
May 22
- Kong Gon Chung, (Chinaman) - Shot-killed-Chinatown, this eve.; susp. Wong Ah Gong, Lem Yick and Wong Ah Hugh, highbinders.
31
- Copeland, A.R. Private watchman - Held up and shot in back of neck by 2 highwaymen, 6th & Union, 8:45 this p.m.
June 2
- Breckenridge, W. J., 2407 Budlong Ave. - Held up and shot, 9:15 this p.m. by 2 men, 24th St. near Vermont. Died 3:15 p.m. June 3d.
July 15
- Mitchell, Elmer, Fireman, Santa Fe R.R. - Shot last night by C.C. Tilley, grocer, for being intimate with his, Tilley's wife. Taken to Pacific Hospital under care of Dr. Rebecca Lee Dorsey. Mitchell got well and no complaint issued.
Aug. 10
- Slovinski, John - Committed suicide, shot self in mouth, with shot gun, @ room @ Lawrence, W 5th St. Had been arraigned in Judge Austin's court, in company with his wife for attemp to extort money by badger game or similar device. (Any of Mean Street's readers know what a badger game is? Post your comments here.)
Gunmen killed the head of Mexico's federal police force early Thursday in a brazen hit against the man who had become the public face of the country's war on drug cartels.
What's wrong with this picture?
I'm taking you back to the turn of the century Los Angeles, to take a peek at the LAPD's oldest murders. It was a time when police logs were typed out and when police used less-than politically correct words to describe minorities in official police reports.
This is from the LAPD's Murder Book, courtesy of LAPD Detective Robert Bub, a veteran homicide investigator:
- Oct. 28, 1900
Wong Won, Chinese - Shot in belly about 12 last night, by another C----, Alameda and Marsch. Assailant shot in leg by Officer Dixon. - Dec. 12
Austin, Police Judge - Called to side door abt. 8:10 this P.M. by one who rattled the screen. Opened door and shot was fired through the screen, passing thru his coat. Did not see any one. - Jan. 12, 1901
Stade J, Divine Healer - Shot in left eye, in his room at 1151 Maple Ave., between 6 and 7 a.m. today; evidently while he was asleep, by unknown party who went up stairs to room and later made his escape by front door without being seen. Shot was heard by Tucker brothers in next room. Was not discovered by Mrs. Clark, landlady, until 2 p.m. Shields, Talamantes, Benedict and Bradish and Steele on case. - Jan. 18, 1901
Wong Doo, (Chinaman) - Supposed to have shot and wounded Wong Quong; arrested and dismissed. - April 21
Carlson, Anna, 3512 Eureka St. - Knocked down with rock, in hands of unknown man, 12:10 a.m., April 19, front of above addr. (Benedict) - April 22
Cusick, al. Conway, Mrs. Lillie - Shot and killed at 9:15 p.m., 515 1/2 S. Main St., by Wm. or Billy Nelson, rooming at her house; formerly employed Chutes. Mrs. Conway thought to be from Hastings, Nebr. - May 11
Winters, Grace Pefton, wife of J. Ross Winters - Shot in left side and killed, between 10 and 11 o'clock this morning while out with her husband in canyon, east of Shorb; body broo't back to his home Workman St. East Los Angeles, by husband who claimed it was an accident. J. Ross Winters arrested by Auble and Ritch. - June 9
Brown, Will, Colored - Shot and killed in front of White Wing saloon, 1st St., abt. 6:30 this p.m. by Willard Griffin, colored, who runs tamale wagon. Griffin arrested, Shield and Tom Quinn; dismissed, acct. self defense. - July 4
Hurth, E.C. - Shot about 12:30 this a.m. by Winfred, al. Fredd Hettinger, commonly called Debs, in rear of Ahrens Bakery, 425 South Broadway, where Hurth was employed.
More on the death of a 14-year-old boy, Alejandro Villa ...
PACOIMA - In one of the last photos taken of Alejandro Villa before he was shot to death less than a block from his home, he is smiling, sitting in the back of a limousine.The snapshot is from a quinceañera, where the 14-year-old boy danced so much and had such a good time that he promised to dance more often, his sister said.
And for months, he had been telling his mother he was going to stay out of trouble. He even had joined a boxing class through the gang intervention group Communities in School.
But Alejandro teetered on the edge, sometimes mixing with the wrong crowd. And in the end, his words to his family weren't enough.
One worked at a second-hand store, another drove milk wagons. One was a foreman at a bakery.
All had one thing in common. They were murdered, at about the turn of the century in Los Angeles. They were visiting their girls, found murdered in a ranch house or a rooming house, shot in the back, shot in the belly, shot in the eye. One was knocked down with a rock.
These are snippets of lives cut short from long ago.
These are the oldest cold cases in Los Angeles Police Department history, courtesy of homicide Detective Robert Bub.
Feel free to send in your observations.From the LAPD. A homicide in South L.A.
On April 19, 2008, at about 4:15 a.m., 31-year-old Charles Corey was in front of his apartment building at the 3200 block of West 60th Street when a suspect in a tan, newer-model car, possibly a Toyota Corolla, drove by and fired multiple gunshots. Corley was hit several times and collapsed on the street. The vehicle and suspects proceeded eastbound on West 60th Street toward 8th Avenue.Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responded to the incident and the victim was transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery and was placed on life-support systems until his recent death on April 23, 2008, at 12:50 p.m.
The motive for the murder is unknown and the suspects, their vehicle and weapons remain outstanding.
Anyone with information is asked to call South Bureau Homicide Detectives Bill Ritch or Bertha Durazo at (213) 485-1383. After hours and on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour detective information desk at 1-877-LAW-FULL (529-3855).
Woman kills live-in boyfriend ... This from the LAPD ...
Los Angeles police have arrested a woman who murdered her live-in boyfriend yesterday afternoon in South Los Angeles.Just before 4:30 p.m., Reginald Wilson, 44, and Elizabeth Shields, 52, were involved in a heated argument at their residence in the 5200 block of south Van Ness Avenue. The dispute turned violent when Shields picked up a kitchen steak knife and brutally stabbed Wilson in the chest, authorities said.
After the victim staggered to the living room area where he subsequently collapsed, the suspect called 911and waited for police to arrive.
Paramedics rushed the victim to a local hospital where he died of his injuries, and Shields was taken into custody and charged with murder. Her bail was set at $1 million.
Both the victim and the suspect have been involved in an ongoing feud, investigators said.
Anyone with information is asked to call South Bureau Homicide Detectives Roger Guzman and Eric Crosson at (213) 485-1383. After hours and on weekends, please call the 24-hour Detective Information Desk at 1-877-LAW-FULL (529-3855).
Anyone out there know this kid, a 15-year-old shot in a gang related incident? Anyone else out there as outraged?
Police say a young teenager was shot to death amid gang related shooting yesterday evening in North Hollywood.The shooting happened around 7:15 p.m., in the 7000 block of Ethel Avenue. When police arrived they found the body of 15-year-old Victor Fajardo lying on the sidewalk suffering from gunshot wounds.
Paramedics rushed Fajardo to Holy Cross Medical Center where he died.
According to investigators, two Latino men confronted Fajardo as he walked along the sidewalk. One of the men pulled out a handgun and brutally shot Fajardo. Both suspects drove off in a 2000 or 2004 black Mustang.
Detectives have few leads and described the gunmen only as Hispanic.
Anyone with information regarding this shooting is asked to contact North Hollywood Homicide Detective Richard Wheeler at 818-623-4075. During off-hours or on weekends, call the 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).
A walk through history as told through LAPD photographs ...
The Los Angeles Police Department has embarked on an ambitious plan to catalog and preserve nearly one million photographic negatives accumulated during decades of police service in the city of Los Angeles. The images constitute a visual record dating primarily from the early 1920s to the late 1960s. “Our agency has a rich heritage that parallels and reflects the history of the city,” said Mary Grady, Public Information Director for the LAPD, whose Entertainment Trademark Unit will coordinate the undertaking. lapdblog
A little more from the homicide from Sunday in North Hollywood ...
A shooting that left a 23-year-old man dead outside of a liquor store Sunday stemmed from a dispute the victim had with an associate of the same gang, police said this morning. Dennis Runner, of Canoga Park, was killed as he sat in the passenger seat of his girlfriend's car outside a liquor store about 9:30 p.m. Sunday at Sherman Way and Lankershim Boulevard, police said. He was hit in the head and died later at a hospital. Los Angeles Police Detective Martin Pinner said he was just out of prison six weeks.
LAPD officer Manuel Tarango uses a microscope to look at a .380 bullet shell casing at the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center/LA Regional Loboratory. The shell casing comes from the gun of a suspect in a shooting in the Valley.
Rachel takes us into the offices of the LAPD's ballistics unit for a story about how cops piece together bullet fragments and shell casings found on the streets to the people responsible for pulling the trigger.
She writes that the unit is the backbone of law enforcement and can make or break cases.
I just got this press release from Glendale Officer John Balian in my e-mail inbox. It is an update on the Glendale police shooting last night at Forest Lawn that left a gunman wounded.
On 4-3-08 at approximately 9:45 pm, Glendale Police Department officers were dispatched to Forest Lawn, located at 1712 South Glendale Avenue, regarding a report of possible shots fired at the location. Forest Lawn security advised the arriving officers that there was a suspicious vehicle (black Cadillac Escalade) parked at the top of the cemetery.As officers approached the vehicle, a shot was fired in their direction. The officers were unsure if they could safely exit the area so responding officers brought the armored “Bearcat.” Officers established a perimeter around Forest Lawn Cemetery, with the assistance of LAPD.
A short time after the perimeter was established; Officers were contacted at the Forest Lawn entrance by a family friend who reported that the subject in the black Escalade was suicidal and armed with a firearm.
A team of Glendale Police Officers approached the Cadillac Escalade in the Glendale Police Bearcat (armored vehicle) and attempted to block the vehicle from being able to leave while negotiations began.
The suspect and his vehicle were in the City of Los Angeles portion of the cemetery. LAPD SWAT was requested to respond to the scene.
During the telephonic negotiations, LAPD reported that the suspect is possibly involved in a murder that occurred on 4-3-08 at approximately 8:19 pm, in the Wilshire District of LAPD.
Prior to SWAT’s arrival; the suspect drove forward and attempted to flee at a high rate of speed. Glendale Police Officers had blocked the roadway with two empty patrol vehicles, in an attempt to keep the Escalade from leaving the cemetery into the community after shooting at officers. The suspect crashed his vehicle into one of the patrol vehicles, coming to a stop. At this time, an Officer Involved Shooting took place. The suspect, who sustained a gunshot wound, was taken into custody. Los Angeles Fire Department transported the suspect to Los Angeles County Medical Center where he is in serious but stable condition. The identity of the suspect is not being released at this time. Refer all media inquiries regarding the homicide to LAPD.
The Los Angeles Times today has a piece chronicling the life of a part of South Los Angeles reeling from violence, a neighborhood where shootings occur, where residents try to get cops to tackle the problem of mobile prostitution vans and to crack down on unscrupulous landlords who run slum apartments where many of his students live in dangerous and unsanitary conditions. One resident doesn't bother calling the cops. "No one does, she explained, not so much because the police are feared but because you will become a target yourself if you are known to have ratted out a criminal."
A little more about the story of the man who was found shot in the head in a crashed car on the 101 Freeway this weekend in Sherman Oaks.
Shortly before Marlon Gordillo Sical sped down the Ventura Freeway and apparently shot himself, he sent a text message to one of his best friends, Stacy Blanco, who was sitting next to the hospital bed of his dead girlfriend.
"If you can just tell ma parents goodbye ... stacy take care of ma baby OK," he wrote.
SHERMAN OAKS - A man whose body was found with a gunshot wound to the head Sunday in a car on the Ventura Freeway was despondent over the suicide of his girlfriend and might have killed himself, police said this morning. Marlon Gordillo Sical, 20, had been arguing with his girlfriend, Virginia Castillo, 19, when he disappeared and she hanged herself, police said. "He was apparently despondent," said Los Angeles Police Capt. James Miller, adding that police still are calling the case an undetermined death until the results of an autopsy tomorrow.
I went out to the scene yesterday of a freeway shooting in which a 20-year-old man was found with a bullet to his head in his crashed car. The man's smashed up white car was found near the center divider on the eastbound Ventura Freeway between Van Nuys Boulevard and Woodman Avenue in Sherman Oaks at 8:14 a.m. yesterday.
Paramedics responding to what they thought was a crash saw the victim with the bullet and was taken to UCLA Medical Center where he died later. The man's car struck the eastbound freeway’s right sound wall, crossed all five lanes and slammed into the center divider. Los Angeles Police Capt. Jim Miller said police had no witnesses and few leads. Not much was known about the victim, identified as Marlon Gordillo Sical.
This was the second deadly freeway shooting in the Fernando Valley this month. About 2 a.m. March 1, Bunthan Roeung, 26, of Sylmar died after being shot on the 101 near Barham Boulevard.
In that case, Roeung and some friends had gotten into an argument with a group of black men in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo on Hollywood Boulevard.
A chase ensued on the 101, and the shooting occurred a few miles away. No arrests have been made, and police and city officials have offered a $50,000 reward for information.
Anyone with information on that shooting can call the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Division homicide detectives at 818-623-4075.
Detectives are looking into whether the two shootings are connected, but it appears unlikely, Miller said.
The buzz this morning is over the big front page mea culpa The Los Angeles Times wrote over a recent story about a brutal 1994 attack on rap superstar Tupac Shakur.
They were hoodwinked by a con artist informant who faked up documents to look like legitimate FBI file papers. Today, The Times' reporter Chuck Philips and his supervisor, Deputy Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, who were responsible for the story, apologized as they took the heat.
The Shakur article appeared on latimes.com last week and two days later in the paper's Calendar section. The criticism came first from The Smoking Gun Web site, which said the newspaper had been the victim of a hoax, and then from subjects of the story, who said they had been defamed, The Times reported today."In relying on documents that I now believe were fake, I failed to do my job," Philips said in a statement yesterday, according to The Times. "I'm sorry."
In his statement, Duvoisin added: "We should not have let ourselves be fooled. That we were is as much my fault as Chuck's. I deeply regret that we let our readers down."
Times Editor Russ Stanton announced that the newspaper would launch an internal review of the documents and the reporting surrounding the story.
The Shakur article described a Nov. 30, 1994, ambush at Quad Recording Studios in New York, where the rap singer was pistol-whipped and shot several times by three men. No one has been charged in the crime, but before his death two years later, Shakur said he suspected allies of rap impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs.
The assault triggered a bicoastal war between Shakur and fellow adherents of West Coast rap and their East Coast rivals. One such rival, Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was shot to death, as was Shakur.
The Shakur s