2 Men Wanted For 3 Cold Case Murders Committed Within 2-Mile Area In East LA
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — An $80,000 reward was offered Wednesday to help find two men who may be linked to as many as three murders in the East Los Angeles area as far back as 2014.
Composite sketches of two men were released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in connection with the murders of 34-year-old Jesse Avalos, 38-year-old Eduardo Robles and 27-year-old Amanda "Nikki" Lopez.
Avalos' sisters made a public plea for help in solving the murders.
"We don't have closure, we don't have justice, and I'm sure all of these families are still suffering," Maria Orozco-Avalos said. "Please help us. Please come forward with any information you may have."
The murders happened in different years, but within 2.2 miles of each other in East Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles County sheriff's Capt. Joe Mendoza. The two men may be linked all three murders, and investigators believe the same gun may have killed Robles and Lopez.
Avalos was found with his seat belt on and the hood of his SUV open in the 4800 block of Telegraph Road on Feb. 10, 2014. He had been shot to death, just hours after an acquaintance asked him to help jump his vehicle in the area, Mendoza said. Two suspects were seen around the vehicle and leaving the area quickly.
Robles was murdered on July 6, 2015 after fighting with a man in the driveway of a residence in the 4300 block of Eagle Street. Approximately 15 to 20 people witnessed the fight but none of them have given information to investigators that could lead to the suspect's arrest, Mendoza said.
Lopez was shot to death on April 22, 2018 as she slept in a tent at a homeless encampment in front of Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis' office. Surveillance video captured a silver PT cruiser driving up, and a suspect in dark clothes and a mask getting out. Mendoza says the gunman searched for Lopez in the homeless encampment before finding her and killing her.
The shooter and the driver of the PT Cruiser were both described as Hispanic men. The shooter is believed to be in his late 20s, about 5-foot-8, with short hair and a medium build, while the driver was described as being in his late 40s, between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-9, heavy set, with a possible mustache.
A reward of $80,000 is available for information leading to the capture and conviction of the suspects in these murders.
Anyone with information on the killings can call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.