One Year Later, Parents Searching For Suspects In Midtown Beating Death
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — On St. Patrick's Day in 2013, Josiah Humphreys was beaten to death by three men who still haven't been caught.
Josiah's parents say they will never stop looking for those men, and they are fighting to keep their son's case in the public eye.
It was exactly one year ago on Monday that Larry and Vonda Humphreys lost their son.
"He was everybody's friend," Larry said.
The 28-year-old, who many described as one of the nicest people they'd ever met somehow found himself in a confrontation with three men.
All police know is that Josiah and the men exchanged some words before they beat Josiah to death.
"Somebody's keeping the truth a secret," Larry said.
The fatal beating happened on Josiah's walk home in the early morning hours of St. Patrick's Day last year.
Even more frustrating to the Humphreys is they say there were many witnesses as people just walked by as the men beat the life out of their son.
"I think somebody knows what happened and why," Larry said, "and they're just afraid or too ashamed to tell the truth."
To this day, police have no idea the identities of Josiah's killers. All they know is the three men were between 25 and 30 years old and that one of them was wearing a New York Yankees jacket.
William McCormack lives just steps away from where Josiah died and where candles still burn in his memory. Where Josiah's love for crazy hats serves as a reminder of the unsolved case.
"I'm worried about anybody who could be out in my neighborhood," he said.
The Humphreys believe it will only be a matter of time before Josiah's killers will be caught. They think Josiah's friends know more than they're telling police, because they're too afraid to step forward.
"You need to be brave and tell the truth," Larry said. "We need to come forward so we can find closure, and Josiah can rest in peace."
There's a $15,000 reward for information leading directly to an arrest.
The Guardian Angels plan to hit the streets of Midtown on Friday to pass out fliers and talk to people about Josiah's case.