Oscar Becerril-Rios was 31 years old when he died on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, two days after he was attacked near downtown Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma at 17th Street and Hooper Avenue. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Newton Division case.
He had spent the evening of Sunday, Jan. 10, at a celebration. Los Angeles Police Det. Kelle Baitx told the Los Angeles Times that Becerril-Rios was attending a baptismal party when a confrontation began. The altercation escalated and moved outside, and then someone hit Becerril-Rios over the head with a 2-by-4. He was struck about 1 a.m. and taken to a hospital, where he died two days later at 6:30 a.m.
Baitx said the suspect was a Latino man who probably did not know the victim. The detective said he did not know what the fight was about, but described it as a "beer-fueled dispute." The suspect was still at large.
LA Weekly, which covered the case as part of its count of the year's homicides, described Becerril-Rios as a handyman. The paper reported that he was leaving the party at a friend's house when he was "bashed over the head with a large piece of wood by two Hispanic males," and that police were unsure whether the attackers had been at the same party. Police did not believe the attack was gang-related.
The two accounts differ on whether one man or two took part, but both describe a family gathering that turned violent in the early morning hours, and an attacker who walked away. A party like that brings together relatives, friends and friends of friends, which suggests that more than one guest may have seen the argument begin or knows who was involved.
Little else about his life has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story. The Times later mentioned his death again, in a 2010 story about a nearby shooting, as one of many homicides recorded within a mile of the area.
The corner of 17th Street and Hooper Avenue lies on the southern edge of downtown Los Angeles, in an area where industrial buildings, warehouses and garment businesses stand alongside older homes and apartments. It falls within the LAPD's Newton Division.
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 Oscar Becerril-Rios could be found in news archives or public records. More than 15 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Guests at the baptismal party near 17th Street and Hooper Avenue in January 2010, and anyone who later heard someone boast about the fight, may hold information that could help detectives. LA Weekly listed the Newton Division's number as 846-6556. 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 call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
