Nelson Guzman was 46 years old when he died on Monday, April 9, 2012, two days after he was found injured on Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma at 4929 W. Santa Monica Blvd. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Northeast case.
On the night of Saturday, April 7, 2012, sometime between 9 and 11 p.m., Los Angeles Fire Department personnel found Guzman lying on the ground, unconscious, at El Nuevo Cafetal, a restaurant in the 4900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. The Beverly Press reported that paramedics were called around 11 p.m. and that he was found outside the restaurant, which sits between Edgemont Street and Kenmore Avenue. Coroner's spokesman Ed Winter told the Los Angeles Times that Guzman was discovered on the ground in front of a club, and that at first "it was not immediately evident there was something wrong with him."
Only after Guzman was taken to a hospital and given a CAT scan did doctors find a large skull fracture and hemorrhage. He died of his injuries two days later. The coroner initially deferred a ruling on the cause of death pending laboratory tests. In January 2013, nine months later, coroner's officials said he had died of blunt force trauma to the head, and his death was ruled a homicide.
The LAPD identified him as a Los Angeles resident. Northeast Area homicide detectives said they were looking for witnesses, and investigators told the Beverly Press they believed there were people inside or in front of the restaurant who may have seen what occurred. The public record does not say whether Guzman was struck, pushed or fell during a confrontation, or whether a suspect was ever identified. Beyond his name, age and the circumstances of the night he was hurt, nothing about his life appears in the public record. Nelson Guzman is a common name, and searches mostly turn up other men in other states.
East Hollywood is a dense, busy neighborhood just east of Hollywood, home to Thai Town and Little Armenia. Santa Monica Boulevard runs through it as a commercial street lined with restaurants, small shops and nightspots, and it is crowded with pedestrians and traffic on weekend nights.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell steeply in the late 2000s and early 2010s, yet many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Nelson Guzman could be found in news archives or public records. More than 13 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was at or near El Nuevo Cafetal on Santa Monica Boulevard on the night of April 7, 2012, may hold information that could help detectives. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Detectives at the time asked callers to reach Northeast Area homicide at 323-344-5744. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
