Mario Abad was 44 years old when he was stabbed on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008, at one of the busiest corners in Silver Lake. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds suffered at West Sunset and Silver Lake boulevards. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast Division.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report, in a post headlined "Silver Lake: Man, 44, is fatally stabbed," said that Abad, "a 44-year-old Latino, was found with multiple stab wounds at Silver Lake and Sunset boulevards at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14. Abad died of the wounds to his chest the next day." It added that "the assailant is still at large, according to the Los Angeles Police Department." The coroner's listing gives Sept. 14 as the date of death, while the report says he died the following day.
The time and the place stand out.
He was found at five o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, in daylight, at an intersection lined with shops, cafes and bus stops. That suggests that people on the sidewalks, in passing cars or in nearby businesses may have seen him, the attacker or the moments that led up to the stabbing. The report does not say whether he was attacked at that corner or nearby, whether he knew the person who stabbed him, or whether the attack followed an argument or a robbery.
Beyond those facts, little about Mario Abad has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found that can be tied to him, and no news outlet other than the Homicide Report appears to have covered his death. The name is shared by other men, including people whose names appear in obituaries in Glendora and Newhall and in federal workplace safety records, none of whom can be connected to this case. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember him, but none of that has entered the public record.
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood northwest of downtown Los Angeles, named for the reservoir at its center and known for its mid-century homes, its music and arts scene and its long history as a center of gay and lesbian life in the city. Sunset Boulevard runs through its commercial heart, and the junction with Silver Lake Boulevard is one of the neighborhood's best-known crossroads, surrounded by small businesses, restaurants and apartment buildings.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell steeply in the late 2000s and early 2010s, yet many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Mario Abad could be found in news archives or public records. More than 17 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was near Sunset and Silver Lake boulevards on the afternoon of Sept. 14, 2008, who saw a man hurt or a person running from the area, or who knew Mario Abad, 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).
