Rogelio Perez was 63 years old when he was found dead on Friday, November 2, 2007, in his apartment in the Harvard Heights area of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 1250 S. Western Ave. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Wilshire Division case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report said that Perez "was found dead, stabbed multiple times, in his apartment" at about 9:26 a.m. "The apartment manager discovered him dead and called police. He had not been dead long." The report added that "Perez had lived alone in the apartment for 14 years, and was a healthcare worker or possibly a licensed nursing assistant." One detail stands out: "There was no evidence of forced entry." The entry closed by noting that "LAPD Wilshire detectives seek leads," and it listed the number (213) 473-0446.
Those few lines say a good deal.
A man in his sixties who had lived in the same apartment for 14 years was likely well known to his neighbors and to the building's manager. His work in health care suggests that he spent his days caring for others. The lack of forced entry suggests that whoever killed him may have been let in, may have had a key, or may have come in through a door that was already open, though the report does not say which. The note that he had not been dead long suggests he was attacked that morning or late the night before.
Beyond those details, almost nothing about Rogelio Perez has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no other news outlet appears to have reported on the death. Rogelio Perez is also a common name, and searches turn up obituaries and records for many other men who shared it, in Texas, Florida, Illinois and elsewhere, none of whom can be connected to the man who died on Western Avenue.
Western Avenue is one of the longest north-south streets in Los Angeles. The stretch near the 1200 block of South Western runs through Harvard Heights in mid-Los Angeles. It is a dense area of apartment buildings, older homes, small businesses and busy bus routes, where many residents live for years in the same building and come to know one another by sight.
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 Rogelio Perez could be found in news archives or public records. More than 18 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived in or visited the apartment building at 1250 S. Western Ave. in the fall of 2007, who worked with Rogelio Perez in health care, or who saw someone come or go from his apartment on the night of November 1 or the morning of November 2, 2007, 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 (877-LAPD-24-7), or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
