Dennis David Jones was 31 years old when he died on Sunday, April 16, 2006, in Westmont. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 1622 W. 110th Place. 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 described him as "a 31-year-old black male" who "died Sunday, April 16, after being stabbed in Westmont." That short entry, drawn from coroner's records, is nearly everything that has been made public about his death.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Dennis David Jones has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death.
He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he was stabbed during a fight or a robbery, attacked by a stranger or by someone he knew, or hurt indoors or on the street. It does not say what time of day he was hurt, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
Dennis Jones is a very common name, and searches turn up hundreds of other men who share it, including a Florida state senator, a baseball draft pick, film crew members and men whose obituaries have been published across the country. None of them can be connected to this death. A man of 31 very likely left behind parents, brothers or sisters, friends and perhaps children of his own who still remember him.
Westmont is an unincorporated community in South Los Angeles County, bordered by the city of Los Angeles and near Inglewood. Because it is not part of any city, it is policed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Its streets are mostly residential, lined with small houses, duplexes and apartment buildings, and the community has long been home to many working families. West 110th Place is one of those residential streets. On a Sunday, when many people are at home, someone on the block may have seen or heard something connected to his death.
Dennis Jones died two days before another young person, Jameika Quinesha Jackson, was stabbed to death in nearby Florence-Firestone. Nothing in the public record connects the two deaths.
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 Dennis David Jones could be found in news archives or public records. More than 19 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was on or near West 110th Place in Westmont in April 2006, or who knew Dennis Jones and spent time with him in the days before his death, 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).
