Cameron James Trute

Cameron James Trute was 32 years old when he died on Friday, November 5, 2010, in Van Nuys. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 14849 Gilmore St. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Van Nuys Division.

The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described him as "a 32-year-old Latino" who "was stabbed to death Friday, Nov. 5, in the 14800 block of Gilmore Street in Van Nuys." Officers responded to a stabbing call at 7:46 p.m. According to an LAPD news release, "the officers were led to an apartment where they observed a man inside who was apparently suffering from multiple stab wounds." Los Angeles City Fire Department paramedics took him to a hospital, where he later died. According to coroner's records, he was stabbed three times in the right side of his neck.

Detectives learned that Trute "was having a dispute with two possible gang members." In the words of the police release, "During the argument the suspect(s) took out an unknown sharp object and stabbed the victim repeatedly and then left the scene. The victim managed to run to a friend's apartment where the paramedics were summoned." The two suspects were last seen running west on Gilmore Street and south on Kester Avenue. They were described only as Latino males in their teens.

The record does not say what the dispute was about, whether Trute knew the two young men, or whether anyone besides his friend saw the attack. The fact that he was able to reach a friend's apartment after being hurt suggests that the stabbing happened close by, and that people in the neighborhood may have heard or seen part of it.

Genealogy records give his full name as Cameron James Ray Trute and list him as born on January 14, 1978. An obituary listing on Dignity Memorial shows that his funeral arrangements were handled by Funeraria del Angel J.T. Oswald in San Fernando. Beyond those details, little about his life has been made public, and no family fundraiser could be found. His surname is rare, and no other person found in the searches shares his full name.

Van Nuys is one of the oldest and most populous communities in the San Fernando Valley. It is home to the Valley's civic center, with city and county government buildings and courthouses, and to Van Nuys Airport, one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country. Many of its residential streets, including the blocks around Gilmore Street and Kester Avenue, are lined with apartment buildings.

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 Cameron James Trute could be found in news archives or public records. More than 15 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was near Gilmore Street and Kester Avenue in Van Nuys on the evening of November 5, 2010, or who saw two teenagers running from the area, 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. At the time, police asked anyone with information to call Van Nuys Division Homicide Detectives Nuttall or Martinez at (818) 374-0040. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 (877-LAPD-24-7), or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).