Mark Charles Robertson was 50 years old when he died on Sunday, April 24, 2005, in Claremont. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 215 S. Mills Ave. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department case.
The Los Angeles Times reported the next day that a 50-year-old Claremont man had been "found stabbed to death in his home Sunday." He was found with "multiple stab wounds" after family members went to his home in the 200 block of South Mills Avenue that morning because, in the words of Sheriff's Deputy Alba Yates, "they had not heard from the victim."
The case took an unusual turn from the start. Sheriff's detectives said they were looking for his 28-year-old son, who lived with him, and a white Ford pickup truck was also missing from the home. The department was careful not to draw conclusions.
"Detectives have not determined whether [the son] was involved in his father's murder or is himself a second victim," the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. Detectives asked the public for help in finding both the son and the truck. No later news report could be found saying what became of that search.
His family placed an obituary in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, published April 29, 2005, which began, "Mark C. Robertson, age 50, was taken from," and mentioned five grandchildren. Only a fragment of it was available for this story. On April 25, 2005, the day after his death, the California State Assembly's daily journal also records that the Assembly adjourned in memory of a Mark Robertson of Claremont, which suggests his death was noticed well beyond his own street. The full text of that record was not available either.
Claremont is a city at the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. It is best known as the home of the Claremont Colleges, and its shaded, tree-lined streets and historic village downtown have earned it the nickname "the City of Trees and PhDs." It is generally regarded as a quiet, well-kept community, and a killing inside a family home there was the kind of event that draws attention from neighbors and the wider region.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Mark Charles Robertson could be found in news archives or public records. More than 20 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew Mark Robertson, who saw a white Ford pickup truck near South Mills Avenue in Claremont in late April 2005, or who knows what happened in the home that weekend may hold information that could help. Detectives asked at the time that information be called in to the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. 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 contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
