Dontae Tremain Anderson was 35 years old when he died on Friday, April 3, 2020, in Sherman Oaks, in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds near 15216 Burbank Blvd. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Bureau Homicide unit.
City News Service, in a report carried by the Los Angeles Daily News, said officers sent to the 15200 block of Burbank Boulevard about 11:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, "found the mortally wounded man lying on a sidewalk," and that he died at the scene. Police described him as a transient. "No arrests were reported, and no suspect information was available," the report said.
"A motive for the killing was not immediately known."
Within days, several entertainment news sites reported that the man was Dontae Anderson-DeBarge, the son of R&B singer Chico DeBarge, a member of the well-known musical DeBarge family. The sites quoted a statement attributed to the LAPD's Van Nuys Area watch commander: "The victim was found with multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by LAFD. There is no suspect information. The victim is homeless. It is unknown if it is gang-related."
Rolling Out reported that he "succumbed to his injuries after being stabbed repeatedly." One site described him as a lover of music who was also an aspiring model, and said a cousin had called him "strong, God fearing, and eager to love and be loved." A Facebook memorial page created in his name invited friends to "a memorial and home-going celebration for my brother Dontae Anderson Debarge" on Saturday, May 9, 2020. A childhood friend posted a tribute of his own.
The reports that he was living on the street at 35 suggest that he had fallen on hard times, though none of the public accounts say how long he had been without a home or why. They also do not say whether he knew the person who stabbed him, or whether anyone saw the attack.
Sherman Oaks is a largely residential community in the southern San Fernando Valley, known for the Ventura Boulevard shopping district and the hillside neighborhoods that rise toward the Santa Monica Mountains. Burbank Boulevard is a major east-west street across the Valley. Sherman Oaks borders Van Nuys, and several reports placed the killing in the Van Nuys area.
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 Dontae Tremain Anderson 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 Burbank Boulevard in Sherman Oaks or Van Nuys late on April 2, 2020, or who knew Dontae and the people he spent time with, 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. Valley Bureau detectives were listed at 818-374-9550. 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.
