Dispatch: Bungled Names, Mingled Ashes

(Left, "Jose Rodriguez" listings in the Los Angeles phone book.)

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"Is the name really Ramirez?"

In response, a detective shakes his head and shrugs. "It is now," he says dryly.

For some homicide victims, the most fundamental fact -- who they were -- is as much a mystery as the identities of their killers. The name that ends up on the coroner’s report or an arrest form may ultimately be the only official record of their lives, even if it's not the right one.

Homicide Map

This week's map., updated by Michael Quick. (Tan markers indicate newer homicides).

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Story of the map.

Victims, March 18-26

(This is the weekly list from the Los Angeles County Coroner)

Wayne Hughes, 26

Wayne Hughes, 26, a white man, was stabbed in the chest and back at 10965 Bluffside Drive in North Hollywood and died at Holy Cross hospital at midnight, March 25. Arrested was Anthony Lovato, 26, a white man. Police said the pair argued over a woman, and Lovato stabbed Hughes.

Update: The Los Angeles County District Attorney declined to file charges against Lovato, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove the killing was not self-defense.

(L.A. Times story)

Michael Flores, 16

Michael Flores, 18, a young Latino man, was shot in the chest in the 200 block of S. Chicago Street in Boyle Heights in LAPD's Hollenbeck Division about 9:05 p.m. Saturday, March 24. He was standing on the sidewalk when a van drove up, and a passenger got out. Words were exchanged, and then both newcomers shot him. Police believe Flores and his attackers belonged to different gangs, and that some dispute arose. Flores was taken to a hospital, where he died. The suspects are two Latino men or youths. Anyone with any information, including anonymous tips, is asked to call LAPD Hollenbeck detectives at (323)526-3006.

Rolland Holloway, 31

Rolland Holloway, 31, a black man, was shot in the lower body in an alley behind 713 Karesh Ave. in Pomona at about 12:28 a.m. March 24 and was pronounced dead at the scene. This was a double homicide. Police found the two victims after receiving numerous calls of two people shot. The second victim is listed below.

Pamela Campbell, 36

Pamela Campbell, 36, a black woman, was shot in the lower body in the same Pomona incident as Rolland Holloway, listed above. She was flown to a trauma center, where she died at 4:11 a.m. Saturday, March 24. Daily Bulletin story

Marcus Grays, 36

Marcus Grays, 36, a black man, was struck and injured at 2519 W. Alondra Blvd. in Compton. He was taken to a hospital, and pronounced dead from blunt-force trauma at 9:28 p.m. Friday, March 23.

Keith Shutt, 48

Keith Shutt, 48, a white man, was shot at 7755 E. Monroe St. in Paramount at 6:13 p.m., and died at 7 p.m. Friday, March 23. He was in his car when shot.

Michael Bragg, 34

Michael Bragg, 34, a black man, was stabbed in the torso hand and leg in the 6300 block of DeLongpre Avenue in Hollywood at just about midnight Saturday, March 24, and was pronounced dead at about 1:13 a.m. A white man, Michael Baskin, 34, was detained, but LAPD Hollywood Division detectives said he will not be charged because the homicide was justifiable. They said the man who died jumped out of a car and attacked Baskin with his fists without provocation, saying he would kill him. Baskin, who had been on his way to a club, stabbed him with a knife in self-defense, they said.

Alex Contreras-Rodriguez, 17

Alex Contreras-Rodriguez, 17, a Latino youth (left), was stabbed on the campus of Washington Preparatory High School in Athens and died at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center at 3:40 p.m. Friday, March 23.

Sheriff's deputies said Contreras-Rodriguez was leaving school and got into a fight with other students, which culminated in the stabbing. A 16-year-old black youth was arrested Saturday in connection to the killing, which police called "gang-related." A kitchen knife was recovered from the roof of the school. Times story

Jerome Stallworth, 38

Jerome Stallworth, 38, a black man, was shot at 3664 4th Ave. in the Jefferson Park area of South Los Angeles, and died at 6:13 p.m. Thursday, March 22.

He fell on a patch of grass next to the curb and was pronounced dead there. Neighbors described a brazen killing in daylight on a crowded street where children were playing, near a parked ice cream truck. "He must have known nothing was going to happen to him," one local said of the killer. But police have arrested a 17-year-old black youth who turned himself in. Detectives said his mother had been dating the victim and was trying to separate from him. (Left, a single candle at the scene.) LAPD release

Jerem Angeles, 24

Jerem Angeles, a 24-year-old man of Filipino descent, was shot in a drive-by shooting at 2023 Lemon Avenue in Long Beach and died at 3:15 a.m. March 18. The shooting took place at about 2:45 a.m. Police called to the scene found no one there: friends were already taking the man to a hospital, where he died.

Robert Belton Sr., 82

Robert Belton Sr., 82, a black man, was found dead in a home at 1156 W. Adams Blvd. in West Adams with puncture wounds in his neck. Medical examiners later determined that his was not a natural death; it was a homicide, from "sharp force trauma." His time of death was listed as 9:12 a.m. Wednesday, March 21.

Carlos Gonzales, 18

Carlos Edward Gonzales, 18, a Latino man, was shot in the torso, arm and leg on Oak Avenue north of Mission Boulevard in Pomona, and died at 10:37 a.m. Tuesday, March 20.

Gonzales was in an SUV with two workmates. The men were taking a break from their jobs at a construction site when a gunman on foot opened fire, shattering the windshield and striking all three, one fatally. (Left, a worker's boot, after the shooting.) L.A. Times story

Monroe Miles, 32

Monroe Miles, 32, a black man, was shot multiple times in the neck at 4023 Canyon Dell Drive in Altadena, and died at 2:15 p.m. March 18.

The shooting took place at 1:15 p.m. Sunday, March 18. The man was the uncle of a 4-year-old boy, whose mother, Vanessa Ochoa, 22, was arrested in connection to the killing, along with her romantic partner, Mesha Arshaz Dean, a 25-year-old black woman, on March 20, at about 12:40 p.m., in Las Vegas. The pair are accused of shooting Monroe, and abducting Ochoa's son, his nephew.

The case was made public with an Amber alert, issued the night of the murder, which asked motorists to call police if they saw the vehicle Ochoa was believed to be driving: a silver Nissan 4-door sedan with Nevada plates. In the end, Nevada law enforcement helped detectives track down the pair in Vegas, and the child, who was unharmed, was taken into protective custody. Detectives said Ochoa and Dean had allegedly attacked the child's father in the past, but the crime was not reported.

They said the couple came to the father's Altadena home that day, and the child's grandfather let them in unsuspectingly, after Ochoa asked to spend some time with her son. She grabbed the boy and left, and Miles chased after her, trying to rescue him. One of the two women shot him in front of the house.

Manuel Perez, 17

Manuel Garcia Perez, 17, a Latino youth, was shot multiple times in the torso at Josephine Court and Bullis Road in Compton at 6:20 p.m. Saturday, March 17, and survived at St. Francis hospital until March 19, when he died at 10:40 p.m. Perez had just gotten into a car with a friend when a dark compact truck drove up, and one of its occupants shot him. Anyone with information is asked to call sheriff's homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500.

Victor Arroyo, 25

Victor Arroyo, 25, a Latino man, was shot at 14323 Studebaker Road in Norwalk and died at 1:23 a.m. March 19. He had just left the Globos bar when he was fired upon, police said.

Darel Thomas Smith, 22

Darel Thomas Smith, 22, a black man, was shot multiple times and killed at 45th Street West and Avenue K in Lancaster at 12:08 p.m. March 18. He died shortly after, at 12:40 p.m. He was standing on the street holding a sign advertising new homes when a group of men or youths drove up, and someone shot him. One of the attackers then got out of the car and stood over him before the group fled the scene.

Laura Sanchez, 34

Laura Sanchez, 34, a Latina woman, was shot at 4514 Long Beach Ave. E. in LAPD's Newton Division south of downtown Los Angeles and died at 10:52 p.m. March 18. Latino men or youths drove by her parked car and shot her, police said. She was a mother of five, killed in front of her 17-year-old son.(Click here for full article.)

* Update: This case has been cleared. Four black suspects were arrested and charged.

Nelli Rodriguez, 16

Nelli Rodriguez, 16, a Latina girl, was shot at the intersection of East 31st Street and Stanford Avenue in LAPD's Newton Division south of downtown Los Angeles and died at a hospital the next day, at 6:38 a.m. March 18. A companion, Rafael Rivera, 33, was shot and killed at the same time, and was included on last week's list. (See dispatch)

A Man Stabbed to Death in a Fight Over a Woman

North Hollywood: Wayne Hughes, 26, a white man, was stabbed in a parking area in the 10900 block of Bluffside Drive in North Hollywood and died at Holy Cross hospital later. Arrested was Anthony Lovato, 26, a white man. Police said the pair argued over a woman, and Lovato stabbed Hughes.

Update: The Los Angeles County District Attorney declined to file charges against Lovato, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove the killing was not self-defense.

(L.A. Times story)

A Man Shot in the Chest

(This case has not yet been reported by the coroner.)

Boyle Heights: Michael Flores, 18, a young Latino man, was shot in the chest in the 200 block of S. Chicago Street in Boyle Heights in LAPD's Hollenbeck Division about 9:05 p.m. Saturday, March 24. He was standing on the sidewalk when a van drove up, and a passenger got out. Words were exchanged, and then both newcomers shot him. Police believe Flores and his attackers belonged to different gangs, and that some dispute arose. Flores was taken to a hospital, where he died. The suspects are two Latino men or youths. Anyone with any information, including anonymous tips, is asked to call LAPD Hollenbeck detectives at (323)526-3006.

Cold Case: Random Spray of Bullets

Police and city officials announced a $75,000 reward this week for information about the murder of Kendall Chun, 34. Chun was standing in line to buy milk at a small grocery store at 601 North Wilmington Ave. in LAPD's Harbor Area on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006 at 8:45 p.m. A suspect outside fired randomly through the doorway, spraying the interior with bullets and killing Chun. Another man was wounded. At left is a composite sketch of the suspected gunman. Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (310) 522-2036.

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Dispatch: Omissions

Joseph Watson, 17

Two months after her son's murder, Brenda Gamble picked up one of his dark shirts to toss in the washing machine.

She caught the smell of Joseph--a scent still lingering on the fabric. She folded the shirt, and laid it on a table by the door. Maybe she wouldn't wash that one quite yet, she thought.

Joseph was shot in the face near the intersection of 109th and Budlong Avenue in Athens on Jan. 19. Two men, Woodrow Player, 19, and Antoine Hargis, 21, were arrested for his murder.

The murder was not covered by the Los Angeles Times or, to Gamble's knowledge, by any other news organization. The homicide was not included in the coroner's tally. This web page omitted his name.

The Homicide Report exists precisely to avoid such omissions--to make sure every homicide in the county, even those not reported by any media, are recorded in at least one public venue.

Updated Map

(map explainer)

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Victims, March 12-17

(This is the coroner's official weekly list.)

Luciano Barajas, 28

Luciano Barajas, 28, listed as unknown ethnicity by the coroner and as Latino by sheriff's deputies, was found in a shallow grave at 22550 E. Fork Road in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, March 17. His death was subsequently called a homicide. Detectives said he may have been killed up to two weeks ago. He was from South Gate. Anyone with information is asked to call (323) 890-5500.

Fernando Tello, 15

Fernando Tello, a 15-year-old Latino boy, was stabbed in the neck in front of the El Caney store at  9869 E. Garvey Ave. in El Monte on March 8. Detectives said two groups of men or youths were arguing, and a man stabbed the boy. He survived more than a week at a hospital until his death at 4:01 p.m. March 16.

Rafael Rivera, 33

Rafael Rivera, 33, was shot many times in the 800 block of East 31st Street south of downtown Los Angeles and died at 12:10 p.m. Saturday, March 17. A young girl also wounded by the gunfire died a day later and will be included on next week's list. Detectives believe the pair were sitting in a parked car when a black man or youth rode past on a bicycle and fired a gun into the car. See "Dispatch: Nelly Rodriguez, 16" below.