Danny Sanchez was 22 years old when he died on Monday, April 6, 2020, in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds across from 946 S. Carondelet St. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's West Bureau Homicide unit.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report gave a short account of that night. "About 10:15 p.m., a person in the area saw Sanchez on the ground with injuries and called police, said Los Angeles Police Det. Sean Kinchla," the report said. "Paramedics responded and Sanchez was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:18 p.m., according to coroner's records."
The report added that Sanchez, "who was believed to be homeless, suffered from multiple stab wounds, police said." It closed with a line that showed how little detectives knew in the first days: "Investigators are trying to determine what occurred before the stabbing."
The Times asked anyone with information to call detectives at 382-9470.
That is close to everything that has entered the public record. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser for a 22-year-old Danny Sanchez who died in Westlake could be found for this story, and no other news outlet appears to have followed up on the killing. The person who called police found him already hurt, which suggests that the attack itself may have happened out of sight, or that anyone who saw it left before help arrived. The record does not say whether he knew his attacker, whether anything was taken from him, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
He was young to be living without a home, and he likely had family or friends somewhere in the city who remember him from before. Danny Sanchez is a very common name, shared by a soccer executive, a college coach, an artist and many others, and that commonness has made it hard for any trace of this young man's life to surface.
Westlake is a crowded neighborhood just west of downtown Los Angeles, built around MacArthur Park and its lake. It is one of the most densely populated parts of the city, with older apartment buildings, busy commercial streets and a large number of people living on the street or in shelters. Carondelet Street is one of the residential streets of the neighborhood.
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. The killing came only weeks after COVID-19 stay-at-home orders took effect, when streets across the city were unusually quiet at night.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Danny Sanchez 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 on or near South Carondelet Street in Westlake on the night of April 6, 2020, or who knew a 22-year-old man named Danny Sanchez who stayed in the area, 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 can be reached at 382-9470. 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.
