Rewards offered for info on 4 LA County unsolved murders
LOS ANGELES - Authorities Monday sought the public's help to generate clues in four unrelated homicides in Los Angeles County that remain unsolved, one of which occurred more than 16 years ago.
"Your assistance will help bring so much relief to these victims' families," Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a Monday morning news conference at the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles.
"And we ask that you please call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau to share with homicide investigators that little piece (of information) that may be missing that can solve these crimes," Luna said.
(Left to Right) Estephan Hernandez, Keith Jackson, Michael Moreno and Luis Sandoval.
Also on hand for the news conference were victims' family members and Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
"You know, there's nothing that we can do today that is going to bring back ... victims of homicide that are going unsolved," Gascón said. "What we can do is — we can work together to make sure that there is accountability."
"This is a living nightmare," said Rosette Moreno.
Rosette lost her brother Michael Moreno in one of the unsolved homicides.
Loved ones of the victims of three other cold cases were also on hand for the press conference, including the family members of Estephan Hernandez, who was just 21 yearsold when he was killed. The son of Keith Jackson, who was murdered in 2016 just months before his son graduated from high school.
Both were murdered in Compton and their families urged witnesses to come forward.
The same was true for the family of 70-year-old Luis Sandoval, whose unsolved murder goes back 16 years.
"There is freedom in confession," urged Luis' son Arturo Sandoval. "Hopefully there is someone out there who still has a heart and thinks murder is a bad thing and will speak out."
Rewards have been offered by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in the following cases that were discussed at the news conference:
Luis Sandoval (Photo courtesy of LASD)
- Luis Sandoval, 70, was shot on Feb. 25, 2007, as he rode a bicycle about 5 a.m. on Olympic Boulevard in East Los Angeles. Sandoval died three months afterward. Authorities believe he was an innocent bystander in a shootout involving rival tagging crews. A $25,000 reward has been offered for information in the case.
Keith Jackson (Photos courtesy of LASD)
- Keith Jackson, 43, was shot on Dec. 28, 2016, about 8 p.m. as he sat with two female friends in his vehicle, which was parked on Alondra Boulevard in Compton. The shots were fired from another vehicle that pulled up alongside his vehicle and sped off. Jackson died at a hospital that night. A $20,000 reward has been offered in his death.
Estephan Hernandez (Photos courtesy of LASD)
- Estephan Hernandez, 21, was shot on Sept. 28, 2017, about 9:45 p.m. as he sat in a parked vehicle with a friend in the 1100 block of East 148th Street in Compton. Shots were fired from another vehicle, and Hernandez was fatally wounded. His friend was hospitalized. A $10,000 reward has been offered in the case.
Michael Moreno (Photo courtesy of LASD)
- Michael Moreno, 35, was shot on Dec. 23, 2018, as he stood with a friend in front of a residence in the 200 block of South Acacia Street in the San Dimas area. Moreno died and his friend was hospitalized. A $10,000 reward has been offered in the case.
"We understand the fear and we understand sometimes the mistrust," Gascón said. "But unless we work together, our common safety will be in jeopardy."
LASD said these four cases are among the 4,500 cold cases the department has amassed over the years.
No suspect information was available in the cases. Anyone with information on any of the crimes was urged to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.