Ivan Munoz

Ivan Munoz was 24 years old when he died on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009, in West Covina, in the San Gabriel Valley. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds, and his body was found in a car at a 7-Eleven store at 2887 E. Valley Blvd. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a West Covina Police Department case.

Ivan lived in Pomona. Shortly before 2 a.m., a car pulled into the 7-Eleven parking lot at Valley Boulevard and Sentous Avenue. "The driver stumbled out of the car, ran into the parking lot and fell down," West Covina police Cpl. Rudy Lopez told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. The driver, another 24-year-old man whose name was not released, was also hurt. He told the clerk that he and his passenger had been shot. Ivan was found in the passenger seat and pronounced dead at the scene.

At first the case was reported as a shooting. A day later the coroner's office said Ivan had died from stab wounds, and police said they were not sure that either man had actually been shot. The Los Angeles Times reported that coroner's officials found he had been stabbed and shot. According to the Times, the driver told detectives that he and Ivan had been in a fight at about 1:20 a.m. in a parking lot near a Margarita Jones restaurant at the Westfield shopping center in West Covina, and that they then ran to their car and fled. He said he was heading to a friend's house in Pomona, got lost and noticed that Ivan was no longer breathing. "He was then looking for any business that was open," West Covina Sgt. Steve Wheeless said.

Police said they could not confirm that account. The Times reported that the driver had covered about nine miles in nearly 30 minutes before stopping at the 7-Eleven. "It is truly a mystery murder," Cpl. Lopez told the San Bernardino Sun. "We have no idea where it took place." No suspect information was released.

West Covina is a suburban city of about 100,000 people in the eastern San Gabriel Valley, known for its shopping center along the 10 Freeway, its restaurants and its residential neighborhoods. On weekend nights, the restaurants and bars near the mall draw crowds from across the valley, and parking lots there can be busy well past midnight. Valley Boulevard, where the car finally stopped, is a long commercial road lined with gas stations, small shops and strip malls.

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 Ivan Munoz could be found in news archives or public records. More than 16 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was near the restaurants at the West Covina shopping center in the early morning of Dec. 27, 2009, who saw a fight in a parking lot there, or who saw a car pull into the 7-Eleven on Valley Boulevard that night, 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 contact the West Covina Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).