'Somebody Knows Something:' Former CA Assemblyman Mike Gatto Pleads For Help In Search For Father's Killer
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — It's been almost four years to the day since the father of former California Assemblyman Mike Gatto was murdered in his own home.
Joseph Gatto was shot to death in his Silver Lake home. And while the search for his killer continues, the Gatto family isn't giving up hope.
"I think about my father every day. I try every day to honor his legacy in some way – to make him proud. The holidays are never easy," he said.
After the killing, police released a suspect sketch. They believe the suspect may have been breaking into cars and threatening neighbors with a gun in the same area around the same time as Gatto's murder. Still, no one has been able to identify him.
"We're desperately trying to make sure this is not a cold case – that it's fresh in people's minds," Gatto said. "We really do believe that somebody out there knows something. They saw something, they know something. Perhaps this person bragged to one of his friends."
Mike Gatto was a state assemblyman at the time of his father's murder. He says he had enemies but his father – a retired teacher and Veteran – was a friend to everyone.
"He was somebody who had no enemies, beloved by all … someone thing like 500 or 600 of his students attended his funeral. He was such a loved guy. For him to go out this way, it's very hard to swallow," he said.
The unsolved crime is a dark cloud for the Gatto family.
But Mike Gatto says he sees his father in his baby son's eyes.
"This would have been my father's grandson – we named him Joseph after my father," he said. "He's a terrific kid. I just wish my dad could have met him."
