Roberto Hernandez was 31 years old when he died on Friday, September 21, 2001, in Westlake. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 2755 W. Beverly Blvd. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Division.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a single sentence drawn from coroner's records. It described him as "a 31-year-old Latino male" who "died Friday, Sept. 21, after being stabbed in Westlake." The entry gave an address on Beverly Boulevard, but it did not say whether that was his home, a business or simply the place where he was found. No follow-up story appears to have been written.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Roberto Hernandez 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. Roberto Hernandez is one of the most common names in Mexico and Central America and among Spanish-speaking families in Southern California. Searches turn up a longtime Major League relief pitcher, coaches, doctors, defendants in federal cases and men whose obituaries were published in many states, none of whom can be connected to this 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 he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
Westlake is one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Los Angeles, lying just west of downtown and centered on MacArthur Park. Its blocks are lined with older apartment buildings, small shops and street vendors, and for decades it has been a first home for immigrants from Mexico and Central America. In 2001 it was policed by the Rampart Division.
He died ten days after the September 11 attacks, when national news was dominated by events far from Los Angeles. A stabbing recorded in a single line of coroner's data would have drawn little notice in those weeks.
Homicides in Los Angeles rose sharply in the early 2000s, climbing past 600 in 2002, and detectives carried heavy caseloads. Many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Roberto Hernandez could be found in news archives or public records. More than 24 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived or worked near Beverly Boulevard in Westlake in September 2001, or who knew a 31-year-old man named Roberto Hernandez in the neighborhoods west of downtown, may hold information that could help. Because the name is so common, any detail about where he lived, worked or came from could help investigators. 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).
