Robert Edward Rangel was 62 years old when he died on Monday, Aug. 21, 2000, in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds. 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, working from coroner's records, gave the address as 117 N. Granger and placed his death in Porter Ranch, at the far northern edge of the San Fernando Valley. The LAPD's own account points somewhere else. In a media advisory, the department said his residence was "in the 100 block of North Gardner Street," a street in the Wilshire Division, which suggests that the Times entry recorded the street name and neighborhood incorrectly.
The LAPD advisory, issued on Nov. 13, 2002, described how he was found. "On August 21, 2000, Rangel failed to show up for work," it said. "This prompted his co-workers to contact his family and inquire into his whereabouts."
His brother went to the house to check on him. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded and "determined that the victim died, as a result of stab wounds."
Detectives came to believe that whoever killed him also robbed him. "The investigation revealed that the suspect(s) burglarized the victim's house after the murder occurred," the advisory said. Among the stolen property was his car, "a light blue 1990 Honda Accord, which was subsequently located in the 77th Division, partially stripped."
More than two years after his death, with the case still open, Wilshire Homicide detectives held a press conference at the Wilshire Area police station on Venice Boulevard, where photos of Rangel and members of his family were to be shown. The Los Angeles City Council approved a $25,000 reward "for anyone who has information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible in this matter." A City Council actions record from September 2006 lists an item to reaffirm the council's findings and reinstate the reward offer relative to the death of a Robert Rangel, which appears to refer to the same case and suggests that it was still unsolved six years later.
Beyond those details, little about his life has been made public, and no obituary or memorial page for him could be found.
North Gardner Street runs through a residential part of the city's Mid-Wilshire and Fairfax area, a neighborhood of older apartment buildings, duplexes and single-family homes not far from the Fairfax District, known for the Original Farmers Market and CBS Television City. The area is patrolled by the LAPD's Wilshire Division.
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 Robert Edward Rangel could be found in news archives or public records. More than 25 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who saw activity at a home in the 100 block of North Gardner Street in August 2000, or who was offered or saw a light blue 1990 Honda Accord being stripped in South Los Angeles at that time, 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).
