Zaw Htet was 20 years old when he died on Thursday, July 10, 2003, in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 8525 W. Pico Blvd. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's West Los Angeles Division.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a single sentence drawn from coroner's records. It described him as "a 20-year-old Asian male" who "died Thursday, July 10, after being stabbed in Pico-Robertson."
Nearly a month later, on Aug. 7, 2003, the Los Angeles Police Department issued a public appeal headlined "Homicide Detectives Need Public's Help." It said West Los Angeles Area homicide detectives were "investigating the murder of 20 year-old Zaw Htet, who was discovered stabbed to death on July 10, 2003, at about 11:15 p.m., in the alley behind Corning Street and Pico Boulevard."
The release added that "Htet was from Myanmar and was attending Santa Monica City College on a student visa."
That detail says a good deal about the young man he was. He had traveled across the world to study, enrolling at a community college that draws thousands of international students each year, and he was building a life in Los Angeles, likely far from home. Whatever plans he had for his studies and his future ended in that alley.
The same release said detectives were trying to locate another man from Myanmar, whom they described as "a person of interest," and gave a physical description of him and the car he might be driving. Police did not call him a suspect, and no record could be found that he was ever located, arrested or charged. Because he was never charged, he is not named here. The release asked anyone with information to call West Los Angeles Area homicide detectives at 310-575-8917.
No obituary, memorial page or news story about Zaw Htet could be found. His name is shared by many people in Myanmar, including political activists, athletes and doctors, none of whom are connected to this death.
Pico-Robertson is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles, centered on the intersection of Pico and Robertson boulevards and bordering Beverly Hills. It is best known as a center of Jewish life in the city, with many synagogues, kosher markets, bakeries and restaurants along Pico Boulevard. Corning Street is a small residential street just off Pico, and alleys run behind the shops on the boulevard.
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 Zaw Htet could be found in news archives or public records. More than 22 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew him at Santa Monica City College or in the Burmese community of Southern California, or who was near Pico Boulevard and Corning Street on the night of July 10, 2003, 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).
