Veronica Jasmine Hernandez was 24 years old when she died on Monday, October 26, 2020, in San Pedro. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, she died of stab wounds near West 36th and South Gaffey streets. Her death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's South Bureau Homicide unit.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described her as "a 24-year-old Latino female" who "died Monday, Oct. 26, after being stabbed near West 36th & South Gaffey streets in San Pedro." An obituary page from Green Hills Mortuary gives her dates as June 24, 1996, to October 26, 2020, and invites family and friends to share photos and memories.
The day after she died, her mother, Veronica Molina, started a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs. "My daughter was killed last night 10/26/2020 around 7/8pm in San Pedro, CA," she wrote.
"Anyone who knew her knew she was a very calm happy person, she enjoyed being around friends and loved ones." She added that her daughter left behind "a 7 year old daughter who doesn't understand her mommy isn't coming to pick her up, or why mommy hasn't called when she calls everyday when she's at her dads." Her mother wrote that "our family is not big so the expenses are very high for us." The fundraiser drew 144 donations.
Beyond those words, little has been made public. No news report describing the attack could be found. In January 2021, Random Lengths News, a harbor-area paper, mentioned her death in an article about homicide and noted that there had been no arrests. The record does not say whether she was attacked by a stranger or by someone she knew, whether she was alone, or whether anyone saw what happened. Her mother's account places the killing in the evening, around 7 or 8 p.m.
San Pedro is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, next to the Port of Los Angeles. It has a strong small-town identity, with deep roots in fishing and dock work. Gaffey Street is one of its main north-south thoroughfares, and its southern end, near 36th Street, lies close to Angels Gate Park, home of the Korean Bell of Friendship, and the old Fort MacArthur, with views over the ocean. The area mixes homes and apartments with parkland, and residents and visitors pass through it at all hours.
Los Angeles recorded about 260 homicides a year in 2018 and 2019, among the lowest yearly totals in more than half a century, yet many of those killings still went unsolved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Veronica Jasmine Hernandez could be found in news archives or public records. More than five years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was near West 36th and South Gaffey streets in San Pedro on the evening of October 26, 2020, or who knew Veronica and the people in her life, may hold information that could help. 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.
