Brandon Frazier Thompson was 20 years old when he was stabbed to death on Friday, August 21, 2009, in Hawthorne. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds in the 12400 block of Eucalyptus Avenue. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Hawthorne Police Department case.
Thompson lived in Torrance. According to Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner's office, he "apparently went to the home of his ex-girlfriend," where she was living with her current boyfriend. Winter told the Los Angeles Times that Thompson was trying to enter their home when the couple decided to leave. Thompson then chased the pair down the street and struck his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend. After he was struck, Winter said, the man pulled out a weapon and stabbed Thompson several times in the face and back. He was pronounced dead at 4:29 p.m.
That brief account is all that has been made public.
It came from the coroner's office rather than the police, and it was published just days after the killing. The Times did not name the man who stabbed Thompson, and no later report about the case could be found. The record does not say whether the man was arrested, whether he claimed self-defense, or whether prosecutors ever reviewed the case.
Beyond those few lines, almost nothing about Brandon Thompson's life has entered the public record. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser for him could be found. Brandon Thompson is also a common name, and searches turned up athletes, public officials and obituaries for many other men who shared it, none of whom can be connected to the young man from Torrance. He surely had family and friends who remember who he was, but none of that has been published.
Hawthorne is a city in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, a few miles southeast of Los Angeles International Airport. It is known for its aerospace history and as the hometown of the Beach Boys, and today it is the headquarters of SpaceX. Away from its busy boulevards, much of the city is made up of residential streets lined with apartment buildings and small houses.
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 Brandon Thompson 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 on Eucalyptus Avenue in Hawthorne on the afternoon of August 21, 2009, or who knew Brandon Thompson in Torrance, 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. Anyone with information can contact the Hawthorne Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
