Erick Alonso Gutierrez was 18 years old when he was fatally stabbed early on Saturday, October 6, 2012, in Sun Valley, in the northeast San Fernando Valley. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds after being attacked near Strathern Street and Irvine Avenue. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Division.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described what police and the coroner's office found that night. "Los Angeles Police found Gutierrez and another man stabbed about 12:15 a.m.," the Times reported. Gutierrez was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where he was pronounced dead at 12:50 a.m. Coroner's records showed that he died of stab wounds to his abdomen, shoulder, elbow and head.
The second man survived.
According to the Times, he "suffered a stab wound to his cheekbone and was transported to Pacifica Hospital of the Valley in Sun Valley, where he was treated and released." The Times asked anyone with information to contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 275-5273.
The report does not say who the other man was, how he and Gutierrez knew each other, or what happened in the moments before they were hurt. It does not say whether there was one attacker or several, whether there was a fight, or whether anyone else saw what happened. The fact that two people were stabbed suggests that the attack may have involved a confrontation rather than a single blow, and the surviving victim may have been able to tell police a great deal, but none of that was ever made public.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Erick Gutierrez has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story. Erick Gutierrez is a common name, and searches for it return obituaries and fundraisers for other men in Texas, San Diego County and elsewhere, none of whom can be tied to this death. At 18, he was barely an adult, and his family and friends surely remember him, but none of that has entered the public record.
Sun Valley is a community in the northeast San Fernando Valley, within the city of Los Angeles. It is a mix of working-class residential streets, small businesses and industrial land, including the gravel pits the area has long been known for. The area is patrolled by the LAPD's Foothill Division.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell steeply in the late 2000s and early 2010s, yet many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Erick Alonso Gutierrez 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 was near Strathern Street and Irvine Avenue in Sun Valley shortly after midnight on October 6, 2012, or who knew Erick Gutierrez or the man stabbed with him, 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 call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
