Who killed Lorenzo Satayal in Portland, OR in 1993? In the late evening hours of July 20, 1993, a single gunshot shattered the ordinary sounds of Old Town Portland, marking the tragic end for a man known on the streets as "El Pelon." Lorenzo Satayal, a Hispanic/Latino male immigrant from Guatemala, was the victim of this sudden violence that unfolded at the intersection of Northwest 6th Avenue and Burnside Street.
Witnesses recounted a chilling scene that began to unfold around 10:30 p.m.
Three individuals, described as two African-American males and a white female, were seen approaching Satayal. One of the men started a conversation with him, a seemingly innocuous interaction that quickly turned fatal. The sharp report of a gunshot followed, and the witness saw one of the men holding onto Satayal, appearing to rifle through his clothing. Immediately after, all three suspects fled the scene.
The suspects were described in some detail by those who saw the event. One of the men was in his early twenties, stood about six feet tall, and weighed around 189 pounds, with Jheri-curled hair; he was dressed in a black coat, black pants, a plaid shirt, and black low-top tennis shoes. The second man was also in his early twenties, approximately five feet ten inches tall with a similar hairstyle and attire. Their female companion was estimated to be around 19 years old, with a slender build, standing at five feet six inches. Her hair was a noticeable dishwater blonde with dark roots, and she wore a jean jacket.
Despite these descriptions, no arrests have been made in the decades following the shooting, and the case of Lorenzo Satayal's death remains an unsolved homicide. Satayal, who had a history of entering and leaving the United States and had a prior arrest for heroin possession, became another name in the city's cold case files. The motive behind the shooting, whether it was a robbery gone wrong or something more targeted, has never been officially determined. The Portland Police Bureau continues to seek information from the public, hoping that someone might still come forward with a crucial piece of evidence that could finally bring a resolution to this long-unanswered crime.
