Adrian Carrillo was 24 years old when he died on Saturday, July 5, 2008, in Bellflower, a city in southeastern Los Angeles County. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 16228 Eucalyptus Ave. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report said that Carrillo "was found stabbed to death in the 16000 [block] of Eucalyptus Avenue in Bellflower about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, July 5." Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Deputies from the Sheriff's Department's Lakewood Station "responded to a report of a man lying in a driveway with multiple stab wounds to his upper torso." The Times entry spelled his surname two different ways, Carrillo and Corrillo, which may have made the story harder for people who knew him to find.
The report gave a short timeline.
Authorities said Carrillo "lived in the rear house" on that block of Eucalyptus Avenue and "was last seen at 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 4." Neighbors told investigators that "they found him on the driveway in the morning."
Those details suggest that he was attacked sometime during the night of the Fourth of July, a night when fireworks, parties and noise fill many neighborhoods across Los Angeles County, and that he may have lain in the driveway for hours before he was found. The record does not say whether he was attacked where he was found or managed to make his way there, whether he was coming home or leaving, whether anything was taken from him, or whether anyone heard a struggle. It does not say whether he knew his attacker or whether deputies ever identified a suspect.
Beyond those facts, little about Adrian Carrillo's life has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found. Adrian Carrillo is a common name, and searches turn up other men who share it, including men in Texas and elsewhere and a man whose obituary was published in 2017, none of whom has any connection to this case.
Bellflower is a largely residential city between Downey, Lakewood and Paramount, crossed by the 91 Freeway. Much of it is made up of small single-family homes, some lots with a second house at the back, along with apartment buildings and busy commercial streets such as Bellflower Boulevard. The city has long contracted with the Sheriff's Department for police services, which is why deputies from the nearby Lakewood Station handled the call.
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 Adrian Carrillo could be found in news archives or public records. More than 17 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who saw Adrian Carrillo on the night of July 4, 2008, who knew where he had been or whom he planned to meet, or who noticed anything unusual on Eucalyptus Avenue in Bellflower that night 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 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
