Howard Eveard Adams was 41 years old when he died on Sunday, June 6, 2004, in Hollywood. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 1745 N. Orange Drive. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department case, assigned to the Hollywood Division.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a single sentence drawn from coroner's records. It described him as "a 41-year-old black male" who "died Sunday, June 6, after being stabbed in Hollywood." The entry gave an address on Orange Drive, but it did not say whether he lived there, whether he was attacked there or whether that was simply where he was found.
Almost nothing else about his life has been made public. A short listing at Rose Hills Mortuary in Whittier records that Howard Eveard Adams "was born on April 13, 1963 and passed away on June 6, 2004."
The unusual middle name, the birth date and the date of death match the man in the coroner's record, which suggests his family arranged his funeral there. The listing gives no other details about his work, his family or how he spent his life, and no news outlet appears to have reported on his death.
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 anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect. Howard Adams is a fairly common name, but his unusual middle name sets him apart from the many other men who share it.
Orange Drive runs north from the heart of Hollywood, just steps from Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame and some of the most visited tourist attractions in Los Angeles. A short walk away the boulevard is crowded day and night with visitors, street performers and nightlife, while the side streets are lined with older apartment buildings home to working people, students and longtime renters. The area is patrolled by the LAPD's Hollywood Division.
Los Angeles still recorded roughly 480 to 520 homicides a year in the mid-2000s, and many of those killings were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Howard Eveard Adams could be found in news archives or public records. More than 21 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew a 41-year-old man named Howard Adams in Hollywood, or who was on or near North Orange Drive in early June 2004, 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 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).
