Curtis Anthony King was 23 years old when he died on Friday, June 14, 2013, in Santa Monica. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma in the area of 19th Street and Michigan Avenue. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Santa Monica Police Department case.
He was a young Black man in his early 20s. Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Curtis Anthony King has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record. Curtis King is a common name, and searches for it turned up only other men who share it, in obituaries from Arkansas, Michigan, Texas and other states, none of them the young man who died in Santa Monica.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he was beaten in a fight, attacked by a stranger, assaulted indoors or on the street, or struck by a vehicle, all of which can lead to a finding of blunt force trauma. It does not say what time of day he was hurt, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
The location in the record is an intersection, not a street address. That suggests he may have been found outdoors, near the corner, although the record does not say so.
Santa Monica is a beach city of about 90,000 people on the western edge of Los Angeles County, known around the world for its pier, the Third Street Promenade and its wide beaches. Away from the coast, much of the city is made up of quiet residential streets of apartment buildings and modest homes. The corner of 19th Street and Michigan Avenue lies on the east side of the city, a few blocks from the main campus of Santa Monica College, in an area where students, families and longtime renters live side by side.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Curtis Anthony King could be found in news archives or public records. More than 12 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived near 19th Street and Michigan Avenue in June 2013, who studied or worked nearby, or who knew Curtis and saw him in the days before his death, may hold information that could help investigators. Relatives or friends who remember him may also be able to tell the story of who he was. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Santa Monica Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
