Darius Ever Truly was 26 years old when he died on October 27, 2007, in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds in the 3600 block of Bentley Avenue. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Pacific Division case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report said that Truly "was found stabbed to death in the 3600 block of Bentley Avenue in Palms about 3:20 a.m." He had been at a party, one "large and loud enough for police to have come at some point during the night to quiet guests." Afterward, the report said, "he was walking down the street with a cousin. A suspect, or perhaps more than one, walked up and stabbed them both." Truly died at the scene. His cousin was less badly hurt and ran away.
The Times also described who he was. "Truly was an actor.
He had studied theater in college, said a college friend, and had arrived from Tennessee in recent months to play Black Panther Bobby Seale in a production of 'The Chicago Conspiracy Trial' at the Odyssey Theatre." The production had been reviewed by the L.A. Weekly and the Los Angeles Times. The report stressed that "He had no criminal record, nor do police believe he was involved in any way in local street fighting or gang wars."
An obituary published in Memphis, carried by Legacy.com, identified him as "DARIUS EVER TRULY, 26, of Memphis," who "died October 27, 2007 in Los Angeles, CA," and noted that he "graduated from Memphis Catholic High." Together, these accounts describe a young man who had left home to pursue acting, had already landed a role on a Los Angeles stage, and was killed only months after arriving.
Palms is a residential neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, near Culver City. It is known for its many apartment buildings, which house students, young professionals and newcomers to the city. Bentley Avenue is a quiet side street lined largely with apartments, the kind of block where a late party would be noticed by neighbors and where people walking home in the early morning would be among the few people outside.
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 Darius Truly could be found in news archives or public records. More than 18 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. A party large enough to draw police would have had many guests, and some of them may have seen who followed Truly and his cousin onto the street. Anyone who attended a party on or near Bentley Avenue in Palms on the night of October 26 and 27, 2007, who worked with him at the Odyssey Theatre, or who has heard talk about the attack since, 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).
