Jacky Hay was 38 years old when he died on Saturday, February 9, 2002, in West Hollywood. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma at 8264 Sunset Blvd. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau case.
The coroner's record describes him as a white man of 38. A genealogy site that draws on public death records lists his birth date as September 6, 1963, which fits his age. The Los Angeles Times described him as "a Los Angeles man."
A short Times report published the next day gave the basic account. Hay "was hit several times by two people inside the Body Shop bar at 8250 W. Sunset Blvd.," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Rick Varela. "Hay stumbled onto the sidewalk, where he collapsed and died," Varela said. The assailants were seen driving east on Sunset Boulevard in "a newer model, light-colored vehicle," according to the report. The Times headline said two people were being sought in the beating death of a bar patron.
That account leaves many questions open. It does not say what led to the attack, whether Hay knew the two people who hit him, whether they were men or women, or whether anyone in the bar was able to describe them. It does not say whether the bar had security cameras or whether investigators ever identified the car. The fact that the attack happened inside a business on one of the busiest streets in Los Angeles County suggests there may have been several people nearby who saw at least part of what happened.
His name is shared by others, among them people in Britain, France and South Africa whose names appear in news stories and social media posts, and a cinematographer credited on a small independent film from 2001. None of them could be connected to the man who died on Sunset Boulevard.
West Hollywood is a small, densely built city between Beverly Hills and Hollywood that became an independent city in 1984. It is known for its large LGBTQ community, its design and restaurant districts, and the Sunset Strip, the stretch of Sunset Boulevard famous for nightclubs, music venues, comedy clubs, bars and giant billboards. The Strip draws crowds late into the night, especially on weekends. West Hollywood contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for police services, and homicides there are handled by the department's Homicide Bureau.
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 Jacky Hay could be found in news archives or public records. More than 23 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was on the Sunset Strip in the early hours of Saturday, February 9, 2002, who was inside or near the bar that night, or who knew Jacky Hay 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. Anyone with information can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
