Dante Beaver was 40 years old when he was stabbed to death on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, in Westmont, an unincorporated community in South Los Angeles County. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds after being attacked in the 1200 block of West 95th Street. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau case.
The coroner's records describe him as a Black man. The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report gave a brief account based on information from the coroner's office. Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner, said Dante "was discovered stabbed in his kitchen about 9:30 p.m." Authorities were called, and he was taken to a hospital in Carson, where he was pronounced dead at 10:38 p.m.
That detail, that he was found in his own kitchen, sets his case apart from the many killings that happen on the street.
It suggests the attack may have happened inside his home, and that whoever hurt him may have been someone who was let in, someone who forced a way inside, or someone already in the house. The account does not say which, and it does not say who found him or called for help.
Beyond these facts, almost nothing about Dante's life has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on his death beyond the Homicide Report. Searches for his name found only other people named Dante Beaver in Oklahoma, Texas and elsewhere, none of whom can be connected to the man who died in Westmont. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.
The record does not say whether he lived alone, whether there were signs of a struggle or a robbery, or whether anyone was seen leaving the house. It does not say whether investigators ever identified a suspect. The only call for information came in the original report, which asked anyone with details to contact the sheriff's homicide bureau.
Westmont is a small unincorporated area just south of the city of Los Angeles, near Vermont Avenue. Because it is not part of any city, it is policed by the Sheriff's Department rather than the LAPD, which is why sheriff's homicide investigators handle killings there. It is a neighborhood of small single-family homes, apartment buildings and corner businesses, home to many working families.
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 Dante Beaver could be found in news archives or public records. More than 13 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived on or near West 95th Street in Westmont in late 2012, who visited Dante's home in the days before he died, or who heard about what happened there that Saturday night, may hold information that could help investigators. 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.
