Lester James Hooks was 43 years old when he died on Wednesday, February 23, 2005, in El Monte. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at Durfee Avenue and Felipe Street. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as an El Monte Police Department case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described him as "a 43-year-old black male" who "died Wednesday, Feb. 23, after being stabbed in El Monte." That short entry is nearly all that has been made public about his death.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Lester James Hooks has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death.
He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he was stabbed during a fight or a robbery, attacked by a stranger or by someone he knew, or hurt indoors or on the street. It does not say what time of day he was hurt, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
The name Lester Hooks is not especially common, but searches turn up several men who shared it, among them an Oklahoma man who died in 2025 at the age of 78 and older men whose obituaries appeared in Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee and the Carolinas. None of them can be connected to the man who died in El Monte. The location in the record is an intersection rather than a street address, which suggests he may have been found outdoors, on or near the street, though the record does not say so.
El Monte is a city of roughly 100,000 people in the San Gabriel Valley, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is one of the older communities in the valley and once promoted itself as the end of the Santa Fe Trail. The San Bernardino Freeway runs through the city, and El Monte is known as a busy transportation hub, with a large bus station serving commuters bound for downtown Los Angeles. Much of the city is made up of modest homes, apartment buildings and small businesses, and it has its own police department rather than relying on the Sheriff's Department. Durfee Avenue is one of the streets that crosses the city.
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 Lester James Hooks 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 Lester Hooks, or who was near Durfee Avenue and Felipe Street in El Monte in late February 2005, may hold information that could help investigators. A relative, a friend or a neighbor who remembers him could also help fill in the story of who he was. 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 El Monte Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
